7 Ways To Be More Spiritual Without Religion

Ask someone if they believe in God and you might get a straight forward answer or a considerably more complicated answer. That’s the way it goes with beliefs. But spirituality isn’t necessarily about your beliefs. More than anything else, it has to do with your actions. In spirituality, you do things for yourself, you do things for others, and you do things for the world as a whole. Some people begin acting like zealots over their spirituality, constantly trying to convert others or lording their beliefs over others, but that’s not what it’s really about. Here’s a little primer on what spirituality is all about.

1. Just love the people around you. I hear about people demanding tolerance. We need tolerance. Tolerance is key. But question: how would you feel if you were just tolerated? Love is about a lot more than just putting up with each other. It’s about expanding our minds, experiencing the lives other people lead, and learning to really appreciate our differences.
2. Attempt to connect with your higher consciousness daily. I don’t mean a higher consciousness like God or your aura or anything like that. Really, what I mean is connect with the kind of person that you want yourself to be. Picture it. Think hard about what it means and how you get there. Consider setting goals and meditating upon how to achieve them.
3. Do something you love. Go for a hike, volunteer at the soup kitchen, have a delicious cup of coffee, do something that makes you happy today. Lift your spirits. Be kind to yourself.
4. Do something for someone else. And don’t expect anything in return. The latter part is more difficult than you might think.
5. Disconnect from technology for a while every day. Shut off the TV, leave your phone at home, and engage with the real world. Go for a hike. Spend some time in nature. Spend some time with people you love. Facebook will be there when you get back.
6. Read for pleasure. Books can be so lifting for our souls. Good books force you into action and can change your life for the better.
7. Just take a second to catch up with yourself every day. Think about what your day was like. Meditate on it. Think about what you’d change, what you’d do differently, and what you want to do differently tomorrow.