How do you have a regular practice, that helps to keep you empowered and spiritual? It is simpler than you think and something anyone can incorporate into their life.
Start with the idea that Aristotle put forth: We are what we repeatedly do. Meaning, we become our habits. If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, you will begin to embody the results of that habit. Think about eating “bad” food. If you do that long enough, your results will show. Stay in a stressful environment long enough by refusing to deal with a specific issue, and your body will show signs of stress.
This is why in our NLP classes I emphasize action so often.
So, we become what we repeatedly do through our habits, and our habits are based on our actions. Seems clear enough, and it begs the question, what drives our actions? This is where things get fun for me. There is a mix of things that drive our actions. They include our emotions, thoughts and more importantly, our deep unconscious programming.
It is very difficult to override the deep unconscious programming without a specific technique. If you have a deep fear of stepping out on your own that has been with you since childhood, that needs to be addressed. There are many techniques out there that can help with this and this is why I teach what I teach.
Let’s presuppose for a moment that we have dealt with some of the deeper level programming and have been to numerous seminars (as most of you have). This is where intention and focus come into play. This is where you need to build on the work you have already done. So, if you think about it, once our deeper level work has been done, our intentions set our actions into motion. So long-term empowerment begins with our intentions.
In my blog Fire, Water, Earth, Air How to Balance your Energy, I talk about how everything boils down to energy and the frequencies of energy. We are walking power plants and have so much energy in life that we will never run out. Energy needs to be given a direction, it needs to be given an intention. Similar to the idea that a child needs to be told what to do, energy does as well.
So what is the issue?
Where I see my students getting stuck is with a regular approach to empowerment or spiritualty. They think, “I didn’t meditate today; therefore, I missed my practice.” Or, “I didn’t practice gratitude today, so now I am less spiritual.”
While it is true that if you eat bad food, or miss a day in the gym, you will experience a difference in results, stop thinking of a specific act as being an act of empowerment, and rather think of everything you do as a part of your empowerment practice.
Last night I watched a movie with the love of my life. We decided after having a great dinner that we would make it a movie night. We picked a funny movie and sat on the couch and watched it. By adding one thing to movie night, I turned watching a superhero movie into a part of my spiritual practice. And the cool thing is you can do this with everything.
One part of my regular practice is having a spiritual connection with my partner. I want the two of us to be deeply connected on all levels. This is a very high value for me. So when I sat down last night to watch a movie, I set an intention at the beginning of the movie that this would be an opportunity for the two of us to connect and enjoy the time together.
That simple intention sets the energy you have inside into motion. It directs the actions you take during the movie and it helps to create a benefit after the movie. One of my teacher’s, John Kaimikaua, shared with me that every act is a spiritual act. And sometimes you may not be aware that it is. So intention brings that awareness.
By setting the intention with movie night, my actions during the movie reflected the intention. Rather than occasionally checking Facebook, I focused on being present with my love while watching the movie. When the movie was done, my first thought was that we had a great time just sitting with each other and connecting. And, the movie was good too!
When I am home with my kids, I love to have a morning where I make them banana pancakes. Not the most spiritual thing I do…. Or is it? Many see a spiritual act as climbing a mountain and meditating with a lama at the top. I see the act of making breakfast for my kids or coffee for my love every morning as a part of my spiritual practice of empowerment.
So when I am making those yummy banana pancakes, I put an intention out there. I put love and gratitude into the act of making coffee for my woman every day. This takes the simple acts and turns them into a part of your practice.
And the amazing thing is that energy prefers simplicity. So the intention does not need to be grandiose or over the top. In fact, my intention in those two acts are the same: I focus my energy and intention on putting some love and thankfulness into the act of preparing the food so that I may experience a deeper connection with the person. That is it, plain and simple!
Every year, I take my family to Italy. Together as a family, we set intentions for what we want to experience there. Some of them bigger, like visiting a city and seeing the sites. And, many are smaller and more focused. I want beautiful downtime with my family and I want to create specific moments that will provide us with a lifetime of amazing memoires.
Once we get there and get rolling, the experience of being there can take over. So, at our first dinner out as a family, I will usually do a toast where we express gratitude for our ability to be together on vacation. That focuses the energy for the dinner and sets the tone for our experiences.
I could go on and on with examples from going to the grocery store to making your bed in the morning. Just become aware that you can set a simple or a deep intention with every act that you do, and this will help to bring spiritual awareness into the actions you take. So when you are making your bed, you put positive energy into the act. Now making the bed isn’t a chore, it is a part of your spiritual practice. And, since we are what we repeatedly do, we become more spiritual and more empowered with every act and intention.
A hui hou,
Dr. Matt
