Years ago, I had a wise counselor who, on our very first meeting, made the comment that “Everything is spiritual.”

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That was the absolute right thing to say for the situation I was in at the time, and I took it to heart. Being Christian, that meant I re-inserted spiritual disciplines into my life, making sure I spent some time each day reading scriptures and meditating on God’s word, and how it applied to my life. It’s a discipline I continue to this day. (At least, most days. I have to admit I miss a few here and there.)

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That was a lot of years ago, and one of the many lessons I have learned since then was how absolutely right she was. I likely would have gotten the message a little sooner, if she had changed the emphasis a little and beat me over the head with it. Perhaps she should have said “EVERYTHING is spiritual.”

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Because that is what I have come to believe – that to live our best lives, to function at the highest level, reach the most success, be the happiest, we have to have a spiritual element to our lives, and weave that spiritual element through the fabric of who we are.

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I’m not about to beat you over the head with a bible here, or suggest that you shout “Alleluia!” as you walk into the office each morning.  But I would suggest, if what you are after is the best success, the best life, the most joy, that we need to take into account our spirituality.  Because in the end, it may be more important to you than your physical, mental or emotional life.

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Why? Because our spirituality is where we connect with something larger than ourselves. In Christianity, that “something larger” is God. But other faiths, and even generic spirituality also have some larger something that we can connect to, a place or personage or energy beyond ourselves, that we can tap in to, serve, lean on and become, through that greater power, more than we are.

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And isn’t that what we want to be? More than we are? To grow? To become more peaceful? More effective? More joyful? More successful? More….. Well, you get the picture.

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And to become that, and to sustain it, a spiritual sense of who we are is essential. Because the path we choose, and whether we choose to do it alone, or in a spiritual place where we are not alone, where God, or the Universe, or whatever you choose to call it, gives us a power to overcome barriers. People will see that spiritual sense in you, even if you don’t talk about it. They will be drawn to you, because your spiritualness, that “something other” always shines through.

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If you have found your spiritual place, and are comfortable with it, wonderful. But if you have not spent time finding your spiritual center, then I might suggest that this is a good place to start as you plan to move your life forward. We’ll look at various paths in the next few posts. But first, determine to find, or solidify yours, however you decide to do it.

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Be well. Travel Wisely,

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Tom