1) What is the soul? What is the spirit?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the soul is the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings, or the universe. It is also defined as the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life.
The “Spirit” is defined as a formless intelligent energy. It is the source of all living beings: humans, animals, plants, and even minerals. Each human spirit has an expressed individuality.
The words Mind, Soul and Spirit are often used interchangeably.
2) Do I have a “growing soul or a growing spirit”?
Parents have different expectations for their children as they grow up.
At age 7, kids are expected to ride a bike. By age 13, children can be in the house by themselves, etc. There are many expectations on children as they grow up. As a society, we have agreed on these expectations because they are a good indicator that children are growing.
These expectations continue as you get older. Children are expected to move out of the home, go to college, get a job, get married at certain ages, and society uses these milestones to determine if a person is moving from childhood into adulthood. We have these expectations that show us growth for our lives. However, the growth of our souls/spirit is often forgotten.
Soul/spiritual growth refers to the process of removing our wrong and unreal concepts, thoughts, beliefs, and ideas, and becoming more conscious and aware of our inner being and who we truly desire to be.
Soul/spiritual growth is of great importance for everyone, in all aspects of life because it is the basis for a better and more harmonious life for everyone, a life free of tension, fear, and anxiety. This growth helps us to not let circumstances and people affect our inner being and state of mind. By allowing our soul/spirit to grow, we become stronger, happier and more responsible people.
A balanced life requires that you take care not only of the necessities of the body, feelings and mind, but also of the soul/spirit.
3) How to cultivate my soul?
In order to have a successful vegetable garden, there are a few elements needed: soil, sunlight, plant types and maintenance. In a similar way there are a few elements needed for the growth of your soul/spirit.
Here are four ways to help your soul thrive:
1. Learn to make your mind quiet through concentration exercises and meditation.
Sometimes you don’t rest well because you are worried about your daily responsibilities. You think that if you stay awake a bit longer—if you set the alarm a little earlier—you’ll be able to solve all of tomorrow’s troubles. Often, you end up stealing rest not just from your body but also from your soul. And in the long run, that is the most counterproductive thing we can do.
In your daily schedule set a time aside for meditation so that you can give your soul the rest that it desperately needs. This time can be breathing or concentration exercises, meditation or simply a nap but make sure you have time to rest your mind so that your soul can also rest.
2. Learn to say “NO”
Saying no is a positive thing that refreshes our souls. Many people like to be "people pleasers." In reality, there is no chance of making all the people in your life happy all of the time. This only leads you to make them happy even half of the time whereas you become weary and exhausted.
Too many people are saying yes when they actually want to say no. You cannot continue to live your life to please others. You will become burnt out quickly.
Establishing healthy boundaries such as not taking on too many projects, requests or overwork will make you feel free and will allow your soul/spirit to grow.
3. Idle hands are the devil's playground.
This old saying goes against many of the thoughts that the current culture tries to inflict on us. Staying the right amount of “busy” can actually be good for our souls.
Often you might think that work or school are about what you have to do, and evenings and weekends are about what you want to do. Our culture tends to view retirement in a very similar way. We want to work hard for forty-plus years so you can relax and take it easy for the rest of our lives.
Our souls need responsibilities too. We need to work and keep challenging ourselves in order to have a healthy soul. This does not mean becoming workaholics or allowing work to define our identities, but our souls will feel better and healthier when they stay active.
Rest is a fundamental part for the health of our souls but so is responsibility. They both work together.
4. Relationships are good for the soul
Make sure you have open, honest and safe communication with those that you have a relationship with. It can be a family member or friend, but the first step to building a relationship is making sure you are on the same page. This is a simple tip, but talking to each other is crucial.
Even though you cannot change the people around you, you can make changes in your own lives. Consider leaving or making new relationships in order to keep your soul healthy. Remember relationship can either build you up or tear you down.
4) What hinders my “soul growth”?
Have you ever found yourself paralyzed by fear? This element is a notorious agent that limits soul growth.
Fear holds so many people back in life. There are many different fears:
Fear stems from our beliefs about ourselves. This comes from our experiences and feedback from family and friends. In order to overcome fear, you need to identify the roots of the problems. Once you identify those roots, you need to remove these limiting beliefs so that you can move beyond the fear.
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”—Bruce Lee
Conclusion
As you get in touch with your soul, you will identify what factors you need to change, improve, or implement in order to achieve greater health and deeper fulfillment than ever before.
What is one thing that you could implement this week to help you truly rest?
What is one thing you could decide to say no to this week that isn’t necessarily wrong or bad but is not healthy for your soul?
Do you see your responsibilities as a tool to keep growing?
Who are the people that influence you the most? Is there anyone who should be added to your group of close friends? Is there anyone that you should stop hanging out with?
References
Benamati, K. (2016, June 15). You Should Learn To Say No -- It’s Good For Your Soul. Huff Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/you-should-learn-to-say-n_b_10470470
Lester, J. & Windle, L. (2018, April 25). Marking the Milestones: Everything your child should be doing at each age - from telling the time to bike riding and even dating. The Sun. https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4307686/everything-child-doing-each-age/
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Soul. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul
Nelson, S.A. (2013, August 7). It’s Time for a ‘Soul Detox’. Huff Post. https://www.huffpost. com/entry/soul_b_3707400?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29 vZ2xlLmNhLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN7BMzB8PbhC1VjhD2NrbOBWdODb BguPapNZg1S-r6EItjATvshZqQ59xnoRaj9D1DTLbCqmAHoZeC983e9H9jnNSDFCq WvuB2I343R-H_xEU0pvdC9RmMVSLRYpUaEE1i5iFCxl123ebzQeLO0BkJS15EI2T JIdPTdBXdZMmwgT
Reimer, R. (2016). Soul Care: 7 Transformational Principles for a Healthy Soul. Carpenter’s Son Publishing.
Santilli, E. (2015, January 16). 10 Ways to Get More in Touch with Your Soul. Huff Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-ways-to-get-more-in-to_b_6482746
Sen. (2011, October 9). Allowing Inner Growth. Calm Down Mind. https://www.calmdownmind.com/allowing-inner-growth/
Smith, J. (2016). How’s Your Soul? HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
