Spirituality

Spirituality means different things to different people. We are body, soul, and Spirit. If one of these areas are out of alignment, everything else will not be balanced. No matter what spirituality means to you, this is a part of you that needs your attention the most. Think of your spirituality as a core of your being. A core where your essence stems from. A place where you connect to you creator, and to your origin. An energy force that determines your entire life’s outcome. Spirituality when misunderstood can lead to someone’s lacking identity, becoming immoral, not grounded, and not having good relationships with those around him or her. When I am talking about spirituality, I am not talking about belonging to a religion. I am talking about finding a connection so deep within you with your Creator, that you start living on a different level.

Spirituality Vs. Religion

You may ask, is spirituality the same as religion? What are the differences between the two? Both require moving by faith. Everything within you and around you start to look and feel different because you start to connect the higher power. The difference is how you go about seeking the higher power. Spirituality require that you go within to find higher power, while religion, you are looking outside of you to find the higher power. The key here is that both are seeking something that is higher than oneself, The Creator! The creator who created you, is the same creator who created the nature, animals, the sun, and the moon, etc… I believe that our spirit comes from our Creator. It is one of His signatures. He is the one I can relate to, therefore this is what this post is will be covering.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ~Matthew 6:33

My Story

In 2020, I had to literally forgo everything I knew as it relates to spirituality and faith. I started to study for myself. You can read about my new changed outlook in my “Ways of Finding Out Who You Are” posts . I had to learn what my beliefs meant and where they came from. I do believe that this is not a splint but a marathon, and there is so much to learn still. However, I have walked away from the traditional church setting and I started to look at the Bible and the 10 commandments in a different way. The more I dug in, the more my lost identity came back to me. I started to understand who I am and why I am here. I believe that when you seek the truth, the truth truly does set you free. I feel alive now, than I have felt in a long time! I went to church, listened to a pastor, but I really never challenged or critically thought about what I was taught. I wanted to take a closer look at my spirituality because I wanted to have a better understand of what I believed in and held dear for so long. So, how does one go about diving deeper into spirituality?

²⁰ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; ²¹ nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” ~Luke 17:20-21

Vision Statement

A vision statement is a statement that I used to describe what my spiritual goals look like. I understood that I needed to be intentional and specific in this area in order for me to have a clear road map. If I was going to achieve my goals, I had to visualize and feel what the end result will be. My Vision statement looks like this:

Once I start spending one on one with my Creator, The Most High, Sonini Nanini, I will have a better understanding of who He is and who I am. I will feel grounded, grateful, and obedient to His Commandments. This will lead to a well-lived life. I will feel blessed, I will be blessed, and I will share my journey with others. I want to connect with my Creator, because knowing Him is important to me, and worshiping Him is my reason for being. ~Thrivingatlast

Why Is Your Vision Statement Important?

The vision statement is designed to imagine what the final results will look and feel like once you achieve a certain goal. How will your life be changed once you achieve the goal? How do feel once this goal is achieved? What benefits will you get once you achieve this goal? Once you have your vision statement, it is important to speak it out loud every morning/day to get into the mind set and the motivation need to go after it. I created a binder, and for each exercise like this, I typed it, printed it, and added it into my Pillars of a Balanced Life Binder. My morning routine includes reading this statement out loud and using it as a motivation to go after my goals. Do you think a statement like this can help you go after your goals, too?

Mission Statement

The mission statement goes into details and breaks your goal down in a way that is SMART (Specific, measurable, realistic, and timely). For someone like myself, this is an important step because I tend to create goals that seem to be too much. Breaking a goal down almost guarantees success in achieving that [articular goal. This is what my mission statement looks like:

Starting April 26th, 2022 to July 7th, 2022 for a 90 day period (Timely), I will seek my Creator, Sonini Nanini. I will seek to understand and memorize His commandments. I will observe the Sabbath every Saturday and use it as a day of connecting with Sonini Nanini, resting, and serving others (Realistic). In the next 90 days, I will wake up early at 5:30 am and spend 30 to 45 minutes (Specific) seeking Sonini Nanini’s face to face in prayer, worship, and writing to Him my prayers and needs (Attainable). I will submit all my goals, dreams, and aspirations to Sonini Nanini for His Guidance, help, wisdom, and His truth (Realistic). I will grow in my faith and walk with Sonini Nanini as my knowledge of Him increases (Measurable).

~Thrivingatlast

Why Is Your Mission Statement Important?

If you can see at the previous mission statement example, you will see that it basically breaks down how you are going to achieve your vision in that particular area! This gives you action items of what you need to do and when. You have a time line to complete the specific tasks, that you measured to be attainable, and realistic within your own capacity. You can always adjust your mission statement to reflect what is SMART to do at any particular time. This process gives you a road map to achieve your spiritual goals and any other goals in your life. Do you find a mission statement to be helpful?

Daily Routine

I have found out the hard way what not having a solid routine can do. For a moment I would have a routine and things are moving smoothly, but if a setback happens, I would lose my routine and it takes a while to get my routine back. However, when you have a clear and meaningful vision and mission statement, the routine is easier to get back to because you have it written down and it you are in alignment with what you want. Additionally, if life doesn’t permit you to keep the same routine, it is easier to adjust when you know exactly what you want to accomplish. I find that it is easier to get your statements spoken out loud sometime in the am before your day starts. This creates focus as you think and plan your day in a way that is focused on your goals. It is amazing what your subconscious can do just because you spoke something out loud. My goal is to wake up somewhere between 5:30 am and 6 am, and spend time in prayer between 30 to 45 minutes. After that I spend time reciting my vision and mission statements for each area of my “Pillars of a Balanced Life” series. On occasion, after prayer and worship, I may be prompted to update my statements depending on what The Most High deposits in my spirit.

Tools

I do not know about you, but I love a nice journal and a nice pen. The cuter the better! I like to write things down to remember them but also to be able to look back when I decide to reflect. A calendar is a must. I use electronic calendars, but you can have a desk calendar or a notebook calendar if that is what you prefer. I found that time blocking works best for my lifestyle. I know that things will not always go my way, but this is a habit I want to keep. Time blocking that is. You have to create a solitude area in your home where you will not be interrupted. It took me a while to get this place in my home set up, but I am happy to say that I have a place with privacy, where I am not waking anyone, and where the cats can’t find me~haha. In your quiet area, you will need a comfortable seating of course and whatever standards you want your unique space to meet. This can include floor pillows, blankets, essential oil diffuser, a comfortable chair or a chaise, etc…You will need a Bible if you believe in that or books that align with what you believe. Use your own imagination and create a space that bring tranquility, and relaxation.

Anticipation

As you go throughout the day, take note of your thoughts, feelings, and questions. You can bring this information to your quiet area every morning. This will help you have an anticipation and excitement to get some answers to your questions. At a minimum, you can reflect on your emotions and thoughts. Journaling has literally saved me. As someone who suffered trauma, sometimes, I do not have someone to talk to. Someone who can understand fully what I feel. My journal takes those feelings and emotions and keeps them for me. I get them out of me, and unto a paper. It is therapeutic! Tell me a little bit about your quiet area. Do you have an area where you retreat? What does it look like? How do you connect with your Creator? Would reaching your spiritual goals improve your life? If so, how? Please leave me a comment, and subscribe to be the first notified for when a new article drops.