It takes courage to ask for help and be willing to explore what is going on within your mind, body and heart.
Good for you if you have chosen to work with a therapist.
Finding the right therapist is like finding the right partner. You need to find a person that you trust.
Read MoreWhat does it mean for you? There are many different ways to be a spiritual person.
You can be a spiritual person in and outside of religion. Spirituality is about recognizing and experiencing the life force that connects you with everything animate and inanimate. It connects you with a greater power that humans have given many names.
If you are part of a faith community, you might refer to this power as God, Allah, Goddess, Mohammad, Jesus, Budah and many more.
The major religions of the world have much to teach us about spirituality. No religion is better than another; they are just different.
They all came into being to help people live joyful, meaningful and purposeful lives. People who inspired the great religions of the world saw a need to build more caring and just communities.
What does it mean for you to be a spiritual person?
Religion has done great things, such as ending slavery, providing education for all, standing up for civil rights, bringing down the iron curtain and more.
Also, terrible things happen in the name of religion, such as the crusade, antisemitism, promotion of slavery, division, extremist ideology, Islamaphobia and Christian nationalism.
If you are part of a faith tradition, find a person who can help you to learn your tradition, letting go of what no longer serves you and practising traditions that give you life. Each religion has a different lens to experience spirituality.
In the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Islam and Christianity), a good guide would be to follow the great commandment to love God with all your heart, be kind to yourself and love your neighbour as yourself.
As much of the world has become more secular, spirituality has taken on a life beyond the world's religions. I am going to focus on finding spirituality outside of organized religion.
The irony is that many practices used in the secular world have origins in religion.
How would you describe your understanding of what it means to be a spiritual person to a friend?
Read MoreThe inner critic has good intentions. It wants to keep you safe. Unfortunately, it can become a problem because it wants to limit you to only doing what is familiar. You will notice that the negative voice of the inner voice gets louder whenever you are doing something new. Are you ready to move from listening to the inner critic to the inner coach?
The first step is to recognize when the inner critic is speaking. Until you become more self-aware, you won't likely notice the negative voice because it is all you hear. You are convinced this is the truth, so why fight it?
You will know the inner critic is talking because of the loud, impatient, demeaning, hostile and judgmental voice.
Over time you will learn to notice when your inner critic is active. Once you are aware this is happening, you can choose to have a conversation with this part of you and reassure this part of yourself that you are capable of taking good care of yourself.
You might want to give your inner critic a name so it will be easier to converse with this part of you. Be kind to this part of you because it wants to keep you safe. An excellent way to quiet your inner critic is by inviting it to use its energy for positive things, such as reminding you to slow down and breathe. Are you ready to move from listening to the inner critic to the inner coach?
Read MoreThe enneagram is a psychological-spiritual tool that can help you be your best self by helping you to connect with your inner wisdom.
There are nine different personality types, and you have all nine points within you. Your type represents the box you get stuck in when you are experiencing stress.
The enneagram can get you out of your box by getting you in touch with your three centers of intelligence. It helps to peel off all the lies you tell yourself.
Your enneagram type can help you to observe yourself in action. It will show you what to look out for, allowing you to know whether you are moving towards stress or integration. The more you work on this, the more presence you will experience.
Read MoreWhen you hear the word, God, what comes to your mind will depend on the values you learned from your parents.
If you grew up in a faith community that taught that God was angry, judgmental, and violent, you would have a hard time believing in a loving God.
Here are some steps on how to build a relationship with God.
Read MoreYour enneagram coach can help you strengthen your self-confidence, find greater joy, find your purpose, and feel your courage. All this new confidence and passion can inspire you to follow your dreams.
The enneagram, along with coaching, can help you to discover who the universe desires you to be. First, it helps you to notice when you are telling yourself a lie. It enables you to connect with your inner wisdom. Having access to your inner wisdom will help you to live the best life you can.
You are born with wisdom. You are wiser than you think!
You have access to your inner wisdom through your three centers of intelligence. When you are physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy, you have access to wisdom that comes from the sensations of your body, the emotions of your heart and an openness to something greater through your quiet mind.
Read MoreTalking to God can help you to be your best. But before we go any further in this conversation, I invite you to reflect on who God is for you.
God is energy and spirit that connects us to everything animate and inanimate on earth. God not only connects us to the world and also to the universe.
God is expressed through love, justice-making, and through each of us, even you!
If you explored all the world's great religions, you would find many beliefs and values in common. However, each religion has its own unique story of how God continues to animate the world.
No religion or belief system knows everything about God because God will always remain mysterious and surprising. Talking to God should open you up and not close you down.
Every time you try to control God, you are imposing your belief system on others. Before you know it, you will be claiming that you have a unique line to God and that you can never be wrong.
Self-righteousness is dangerous. Hitler and Mussolini are examples of what happens to people who think they have a special relationship with God and believe they know the ultimate truth.
Once you have a sense of who and what God is, you can begin to build a practice of talking to God every day.
Read MoreThe Enneagram symbol reflects how your energy is constantly shifting and changing. Even in a minute, your sensations, emotions and thoughts can change in dramatic ways. Your enneagram stress and growth pattern can help you to find your flow.
Read MoreYou need a job! We all need jobs to survive. Sometimes we must work in jobs that are not our first choice. You may find satisfaction through volunteer work or hobbies.
If you are in a position where you face abuse, feel unappreciated, feel taken advantage of or are poorly paid, it may be time for you to leave.
Do not forget that you have great worth! You deserve to be treated well. Do not allow anyone or an organization to destroy your life.
Only you can know when to quit your job. Your body, your heart and your head will let you know when the time has come. Your only responsibility is to listen and act on what you know to be true.
The good news is that you have great wisdom within you. Your challenge is to learn to access your inner wisdom through connecting with your three centers of intelligence. Your three centers of intelligence are:
· Body (Sensations)
· Heart (Emotions)
· Head (Mind)
Read MoreI offer coaching to individuals, couples and small businesses and nonprofits. I use the Deep Coaching model that helps one to become self aware and present. It helps both individuals and organizations to live in the present instead of the past and future. This type of coaching is for those who really want real change in their lives.
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