Living the Spiritual Path... it's not so much about crystals and yoga!

1. What can I do to understand my soul’s journey?

So often I hear people ask why has my life been so hard? How did I get to where I am now? Often people can be in denial of certain life events and/or experiences or not have a full understanding of what that meant for them and their journey. Acceptance is the first step of beginning to understand your soul’s journey. It’s time to get open and honest with where you have come from and where you are now. Taking some time to write your “life story” from a place of seeing the gifts in all of the different parts of your journey (including the challenges) can be incredibly powerful and healing. This can be done as journal entry or even just bullet points from birth to now.

2. How can I feel more connected to myself and less lonely?

Getting to know and love yourself is beautiful experience that can be missed growing up as we are too busy being who everyone else wants us to be. Yet the relationship that we have with our self is at the core of all other relationships. Loving yourself is a number one priority. Write a list of all of the ways you give love to others. This is often the way in which we like to also receive love. Each day commit to doing at least one of these things for yourself. How we treat ourselves is how we teach others to treat us. The more you love yourself and enjoy the company you are with, the more you will begin to realise you are never really “alone”.

3. How do I make decisions that are best for me?

Making decisions can be particularly challenging if you have constantly had them made for you as a child and weren’t taught strategies on how to make them for yourself. The first thing I ask all clients to do is to get really clear on your values (everything that you love). Write them down. Underneath each of those values, write down what you believe about those values, why are they important to you. When you need to make a decision, check in with your values system. Does the decision move you closer towards them or away from them? It is a good idea to also become familiar with your bodily responses. Notice if you have a heart felt YES or a icky NO gut response when making decisions.

4. How do I stop feeling so negative about my past?

Regret serves no one. We can’t change what has happened, yet we can change how we feel and what we have learned from our experiences. Reflecting back on your ‘life story’. Take all of the events that were challenging and write them down. Next to each of them, write a list of the positive learnings you gained about yourself. The little gifts that you received from having that particular experience, that you may not have learned otherwise. When can reframe our past experiences we create new life experiences aligned to our new beliefs about ourselves.

5. How can I be content and happy where I am now?

If we spend all our time thinking about our future and what’s next, we will often miss out on the joy that is on offer to us here and now. Do you have those thoughts… when I just get a new job I’ll feel happier, when I move houses then I’ll be able to feel more alive??? What if you decided that you could feel this way now? Start by focusing on what is working in your life. Become aware of all of the simple things that you do each day that are serving you. Being present and continuously coming back to the now. As you go about your day remind yourself… this is serving me because….

6. What will help me to find inner peace and happiness?

Have you ever had your heart set on a job, relationship or apartment and it didn’t eventuate? And the outcome left you feeling sad and unhappy. Of course, these feelings are completely normal, yet wouldn’t it be great if you could accept life circumstances as they arise without them impacting your happiness. By learning to accept and trust that life is happening for your highest good in each moment we can realise that everything happens for a reason. Do we always know that reason? Not right away, which challenges the human mind. Practising non-attachment to people, places, things and experiences allows us to cultivate a happiness without relying on the external world. Choose 10 items in your cupboards that you can thank for serving you and let go of by gifting them to someone else or a charity.

Recap on the 6 Actions you can take to help you on your spiritual path:

1. It’s time to get real with where you have come from and where you are now. Take some time to write your “life story”. This can be done as journal entry or even just bullet points from birth to now.

2. Write a list of all of the ways you give love to others. Now each day do one of those things for yourself. Learning to love yourself and speak to yourself kindly will transform your relationship with yourself.

3. Get really clear on your values (everything that you love). Write them down. Underneath each of those values, write down what you believe about those values. When you need to make a decision, check in with your values system. It is a good idea to also become familiar with your bodily responses. Notice if you have a heart or gut response when making decisions.

4. Reflecting back on your ‘life story’. Take all of the events that were challenging and write a list of what you learnt from them. The little gifts that you gained from having that experience.

5. Start to focus on what is working in your life. Become aware of all of the simple things that you do each day that are serving you. Being present and continuously coming back to the now.

6. Practising non-attachment allows us to cultivate a happiness without relying on the external world. Choose 10 items in your cupboards that you can thank for serving you and let go of by gifting them to someone else or a charity.