Step two: Evaluate your mind chatter and mindfully plan, process and execute a resolution to your mind chatter issues.
Beyond fantasizing about the future, much of our mind chatter is about unresolved issues in our life, whether with our partner, family, boss, work, etc. A key to eliminating mind chatter is to proactively move forward to deal with our unresolved issues. But before we can be proactive about an issue, we need to process our feelings and emotions about the issue, then define a plan to resolve the issue and finally, execute our plan.
Use the times identified above as filled with mind chatter to mindfully work through your unresolved issues (evaluate, process, plan). Important in processing our feelings is to let go of our self justification and realize that we have a spiritualizing opportunity before us. Our spiritual opportunity is to see how we contribute to the unresolved issue, not justifying how others are wrong. Only when we see our part in the issue, can we be objective and loving about planning a resolution.
Step three: Beyond unresolved issues, mindfully focus on your goals and spiritual practices.
If need be, keep a written list of your spiritual practices with you at all times. Evaluate these practices and how you can improve upon them. Think about what you can do today to better fulfill your goals and spiritual practices.
Evaluate how you can adjust your behaviors and commitments to balance your focus on spiritualization with the needs of your feeling nature. The key to sustained spiritual growth to bring a balance of focused commitment while maintaining a feeling of confidence and motivation. It's not how many goals you fulfill our how perfect your performance is. It is a combination of sustained effort with a spiritual intent that brings real success on the Spiritual Path.
Step four: Develop a spiritualizing mantra to use during those times defined above which don't require focused thinking.
Our Living Spirit Store3rd Spiritualizing Habit:
Become Mindful
by Jef Bartow
Our third spiritualizing habit for life is taught by different names in various traditions. Eastern mysticism calls it Mindfulness. In Western theology the term is "pray without ceasing." In business, a model of action is defined as first plan, second execute and third evaluate the results of your actions. Therefore, one is always planning, executing or evaluating. Finally, psychologically this habit is sometimes called introspection.
Prior to becoming mindful, we need to learn to meditate. One of the first major steps in meditation, and a key in spiritualizing yourself, is to learn to quiet the daily mind chatter while learning to concentrate. There are many methods of doing this. One method is to replace the mind chatter with evaluation thinking.
For many, evaluation of behaviors and life is feeling based. Did I do well? How did I screw up? What do they think of me? Replacing this mind chatter with evaluation thinking is a mental activity. It is a concentrated review based on a positive and constructive orientation. This evaluation is to determine ways to improve your behavior and how you execute your plan. Therefore, this spiritualizing could just as easily be termed simultaneously planning, executing and evaluating. Effectively, we turn our habitual daily thinking into a powerful positive tool to improve fulfilling our goals and spiritual practices.
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9 Spiritualizing Habits
Step one: Become aware of the times during the day that you typically self-indulge in mind chatter.
Typical times of this self-indulgence is when driving an automobile, exercising, eating, waiting, getting ready for work in the morning, doing chores and unfortunately, when in the presence of others, but not interacting with them. Based on previous habits, these normally unproductive times are excellent opportunities to improve productivity and increase spiritual practices.
For example, use the following mantra while
exercising (jogging, weight lifting, exercise yoga, etc.):
Step in Christ, align to Spirit
Step in Christ, align to Spirit
Step in Christ, align to Spirit
Step in Christ, Step in Christ.
Affirmations and mantras are fantastic ways of invoking energy and conditioning our entire Personality to become more spiritualized. If you find that your affirmation is becoming rote and lacking energy, then change it. The spiritual practice here is to invoke energy for spiritualization. And, by the way, you could just as easily use Love, Peace, Joy etc. for Christ.
Step five: Transform your daily focus on relationships to a mindful consideration of your partner/significant other.
Much of many individual’s daily mind chatter relates to the issues and expectations in their most intimate relationship. Unfortunately, the mind chatter just circulates the current unresolved issues, rather than thinking and feeling about how the relationship can move forward based on my changes and re-orientation to my partner.
Spiritualizing our various relationships in life require changes of our attitude, orientation and behavior. This step is about a change in orientation to your closest relationship. Make your mindfulness thinking and feeling focused on how you can improve the relationship. And most importantly, document your insights and conclusions.
