Religious Zen

Part 2 - Begin with a clean slate.

Life is full of new beginnings and second chances. That’s the beauty of it. No matter how young or old a person might be, they can always begin something new or drop a bad habit. You are the ultimate painter of the masterpiece that is your own life. Many may look to it for a source of inspiration or they might criticize it, but ultimately it is yours- so embrace it!

Picture your life as a long mural. On it is painted everything that has happened in your past. Look back on the things that you are proud of. Let your accomplishments stand out as a thing of beauty, because they really are. Ponder the times you’ve messed up in an area and look ahead later in the painting and see how you’ve learned from it.

The more you look at your life on the mural, you’ll see how everything is intertwined. Your life isn’t a straight line, but rather an intricate set of storylines, failures, successes, and concrete emotion more powerful than any epic story or poetry.

At some point though, the painting stops. There is still more canvas left, but the rest of it is blank. This is where you are currently at in your life. What’s great is the fact that the rest of the mural isn’t finished yet! There is still much to add.

Are there some things that you regret in your life? Are there things you wish you would have done? Or perhaps you just want to make a change about yourself. It all starts in the present with you. You can decide to keep painting regret from your perceived failures, or you can replace those dreary hues with brighter, more successful ones.

Your spirituality will ultimately determine what happens in your everyday life. Now when I refer to spirituality, I do not necessarily refer to religion. Even an Atheist can be “spiritual” in the liberal sense of the term. Could there be anything more spiritual than deciding- both mentally and in your heart- to better yourself as a person and those around you? Absolutely not.

Separate from what hasn’t worked.

Since you are on the journey to simplify your spiritual life, consider what hasn’t worked for you in the past. Has giving large amounts of money to fund mostly a church building helped you as a person? If it has, great! Perhaps, though, money sent directly to needy causes would be more important to you.

Has being in the midst of judgmental people hurt you in the past? Have you not lived up to their unrealistic and higher-than-the-sky standards? Consider drawing on that blank mural of leaving those that are detrimental to your personal development. Many care only about what they think you should be doing. Ultimately, it is selfish of them. Decide now to set your own standards for yourself rather than letting others make them for you.

If you have decided to change religions in this whole process- then wow! You have probably made an extremely hard decision. But it’s yours! If you haven’t left your old way of thinking, consider for a moment if it is something you want to keep. If you immediately come back with a resounding, “YES!” then stay where you are. But if you are hurting where you are at, or are in pain, then consider making a change.

The concept here isn’t to make change for change’s sake. It is, however, about one very important concept: FREEDOM. Break free from those things that hold you back from becoming a better and more developed you. When you begin unshackling those little ball and chains that hold you down, eventually you will be unleashed and your full potential will come out. This is key to simplifying your spiritual life, and spiritual and personal development in general.

Embrace your beliefs and morals.

All right, so it is pretty clear that at this point and time- at least if you are trying to simplify your spiritual life- you are at a blank point in your mural. Now is a good time to take count of what you really do believe.

What is important to you? Religion? Family? Friends? The poor? Does following a strict set of rules suit you, or are you more of a free-flowing person? There really is no right or wrong answer in any of this. Just take stock of what you believe- or what you want to believe. Write it down on paper if you have to.

Once you have your beliefs down on paper- or on a computer- it makes them a bit more concrete. Now you have something more or less “official” about yourself. This is a great time to start a spiritual journal about your journey. Write down what has worked, and what hasn’t for you. It is a great way to keep track of failures and successes and also a way to take a step back and view yourself from a neutral standpoint.

Whatever you decide, just let it be you!

You’ve accomplished a lot already.

So, we started off with a clean slate and now have a set of morals and beliefs that are truly our own, and not necessarily something blindly dictated to us. We are taking this whole process slowly, too, so as to not overload ourselves. Simplifying can be quite a large reflection project, one that isn’t easily done in one day!

So take some time and put these steps into practice. You will find yourself moving with more confidence and clarity, because you know what you stand for- even if others don’t.

Next time: Simplify Your Spiritual Life - Part 3: Choosing a path that’s right for you.

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