What if i told you that there’s a simple, yet profound, way to infuse joy and success into your life? What if i also told you that you could wake up each day with a sense of purpose and clarity, ready to conquer the challenges of the day and live joyously?
Well, one “simple” way to achieve this is by immersing yourself in a daily spiritual practice.
Spirituality has come to mean a lot of different things to different people around the world, but at its core, most will agree that it boils down to a simple quest– to discover our truest self, the parts of us that exist beyond the roles we play and the masks we often times wear.
But what does spirituality truly entail? For some, it’s been reduced to a ritualistic performance– reciting words or performing certain routines, yielding no real impact on the inner most being. However, this is a far cry from the transformative potential embedded within these spiritual practices.
Think of your spiritual practices not as a mundane routine– but as an opportunity to exchange the lesser, outdated parts of your identity for “the truth”. Every time you indulge in a spiritual practice think of it as a transformative exchange, and when i say exchange, i don’t just mean some thoughtless transaction, but a conscious decision to part ways with the beliefs and identities that have held you back, to make room for your true and powerful nature.
So where do you start? Let’s say you choose to begin with a prayer, and your prayer point is to have a beautiful and awesome life. First, identify any opposing thoughts you might harbor, keeping you from believing an awesome, abundant life is possible for you.
Once you become conscious of those thought it’s easier to exchange them for beliefs that align with your true nature.
For the purposes of this post, let’s focus on meditation and affirmations.
Isn’t it interesting to note that numerous religious traditions practice some form of meditation and affirmation. The Bible also drops some wisdom on changing your life through meditation and affirmation.
As seen in Joshua 1:8; “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth(i.e. continually repeat it, in other words affirm), but you shall meditate on it day and night, and you shall be careful to do everything written in it, then you will make your way prosperous and have good success.” This verse refers to meditating and repeating(affirming) the words of God in the Bible. If you are looking for affirmations, the Bible actually happens to be an excellent source to build affirmations and meditations from, I always find the Bible to describe me in ways that are beyond great.
Now, affirmations might sound a bit daunting, but truth be told, you’re affirming constantly, often without realizing it. Those moments when you think or say, “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t think this is going to happen for me”…. yep. those are affirmations too. However, it feels like a lot of work when it seems time to affirm your desired reality, yet you have absolutely no qualms affirming negatively because, well, they’re “facts.”
Seeing as we are on the topic of spirituality, let’s shift our focus beyond the physical. Scientifically, we know there’s more to life than our physical eyes can see. It is well established that our five senses have several limitations. For example, our human eyes can’t see infrared and ultraviolet light, these lights remain invisible to the human eyes. And there are several other examples that support the idea that there is much more than the five senses can perceive.
So just because we see our current circumstance doesn’t mean there aren’t other options, seen and unseen. Elisha’s story in 2 Kings 6:17 illustrates this; And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened his servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hill full of horses.” This happened when Elisha and his servant were surrounded by enemy armies, he prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened, revealing unseen protection.
Now, amped with the knowledge that there are always other options, seen and unseen; felt and unfelt, when you embark on your affirmations or sit in meditation, don’t see it as affirming mere wishes against hard-core facts. Recognize that your current circumstances aren’t unchangeable facts, so it is not “facts” vs “affirmation”.
You have to view it as two different ideas and you get to choose which to focus on.
If you consider one as facts (e.g. your current seen circumstance) it is going to be much harder to accept the other option. And that’s why your affirmations and prayers often times feel like empty words because of your beliefs and attachment to the “seen” situation as the only one truth.
And that is how the cycle continues, because what we continuously affirm and meditate we eventually believe, and what we believe we allow and accept as our reality.
Changing your belief system doesn’t happen overnight. As you begin to affirm and meditate on your desired future, you’ll begin to create a shift in the narrative you’ve held, giving room to create some new beliefs. With these new belief, you become free to walk into the reality you desire, for as a man thinks so is he.
As always, as with everything, this requires effort and practice.
But imagine the reward – a happier, more fulfilled life. While i can’t promise you $1billion or lavish gifts, I can guarantee you’ll have all you need to live a rewarding life. And wouldn’t that be worth it?!
