Your Spiritual Curriculum Is Calling…

Life constantly offers us chances to learn and grow. I believe one of the secrets to this lifelong learning is self-awareness. Self-awareness or being mindful is a habit that is nurtured and practiced every day. However, it isn’t about sitting quietly when we meditate (although certainly that is one of the ways we train our mind to observe and to be aware). It is a process where we listen to our inner voice as well as listen to the messages from friends and family, even when they are hard to hear.

Paying attention to our reactions when we meet someone less fortunate than ourselves is a good place to start to look at our behaviours and character traits. Are you called to be generous, or are you judgmental? Do you react with humility or arrogance when someone cuts in front of you when you are in line at the grocery store? Are you proud of how you respond, or do you think you can do better? If you leave a conversation feeling unsettled, this may be the hint you need that there is work to do on your inner self. Your spiritual curriculum may be calling...

Awareness starts by watching our day-to-day actions and decisions, especially those where we find ourselves out of sync with friends, family and/or our “Higher Self”. Even those of us who may not have a direct or active connection to a Higher Self, are connected to something - we all have a soul. According to the Torah (Genesis 1.27), we are made in the “image of God” and thus we have the capacity to create relationships, show kindness, and make the world a better place through being charitable.

If we want to improve our character traits, as in the study of Mussar, where do we look? Alan Morinis, author of Everyday Holiness, The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar and his forthcoming book, The Shabbat Effect, says we need look no further than the latest issue we have in our relationships. Do we get angry or impatient easily? How is your generosity muscle working? These are character traits that, when out of balance, may be on the spiritual curriculum we have to work on in our lives. Mussar teaches us to balance our character traits, not eliminate them. If patience is on your spiritual curriculum, the challenge is to watch for opportunities where you can practice “bearing the burden”. Once you identify a trait you want to work on, lo and behold, there are opportunities everywhere!

Now is as great a time as any to take stock of how you are in this world and how you can be better. It is also a time to be grateful for all your blessings. Sometimes blessings may not be wrapped in a silver bow, and the silver lining is yet to be found. An argument with a neighbour may be the message to examine how the interaction could have gone better. There is such a concept as win/win – if one person loses, so too does the other person.

Make a list of where you might improve your everyday interactions and remind yourself of what you are grateful for. Take a moment to journal how you want to improve. Have you heard the saying ‘you can attract more bees with honey’? Remember, being a kind and generous friend only makes the world a better place. God knows we can use more kindness!!

Shelley Karrel is a Registered Clinical Counsellor in British Columbia and can be reached at Shelley@karrelcounselling.com. If you are looking to explore and commit to your goals this year, connect with her for a 20-minute consultation to learn more.