How To Be Spiritual In Your 20s And Why It's Important
While the conceit of this post is not religous, there is something to be said about navigating the depths of inner spirituality, especially considering that the 20s are some of the most chaotic and formative years in life. A common misconception among young people is the assumed correlation between spirituality and organized religion. Spirituality is not a tangible thing.
Rather, it seems to be deeply rooted in human experience. An element of spirituality is the flexibility that it allows a person to employ for whatever purpose is necessary to a specific life. The duality of spirituality is that it’s defined by your relationship with yourself and by your relationship with others.
Your relationship with yourself
In its simplest form, spirituality is the quest to find something bigger than you. Throughout the process, it is easy to get lost amidst the extraordinary analysis while we should also be focusing on the mundane and ordinary. It’s important to remain completely in tune with yourself and your definite place in the universe, as a single human among many.
You must remain brutally honest with yourself; one measure of spirituality is personal growth. So, to grow spiritually, you must hold yourself accountable for your actions, attitude and behavior. To improve yourself, you must question your intentions and your motives. Ultimately, you must only answer to yourself.
One of the keys to keeping yourself in check is to remain gracious; gratitude often leads to truth. Accept who you are, accept your past and accept the things that cannot be changed, the things that are absolute. Be grateful for the moments, experiences and lessons that have helped to shape you into the person you have become. Furthermore, remain grateful for the infinite opportunities that the future holds.
Your relationship with others
Equally as important as learning to be honest and accepting of yourself, you must also learn to accept others and their perceived shortcomings. There is beauty within flaws — it’s the flaws that make people unique. Spirituality is about seeing the good in others despite these flaws. It’s not necessarily about the great, momentous things people do, but the little things. It’s the everyday interactions you have with others that matter most.
It’s easy to get distracted by unhealthy relationships. Although, arguably, there is no such thing as an absolutely bad relationship — even the most volatile of relationships presents the opportunity to develop the powers of strength and patience. Avoiding superficial relationships is most important in terms of categorizing healthy unions in which to engage.
On the quest for greater meaning and fulfillment, superficiality only prolongs the journey. It’s the loyal people, the figures in your life who know you best, who can offer you the most astute advice on your spiritual journey.
