By Dr. Russ
Spirituality can encompass both religious and non-religious belief. At the core of spirituality is a belief that the inner strength to deal with and endure life’s realities is greater than the sum of the physical body parts. Inner strength comes with the cultivation of the spirit with the tools of meditation, prayer and mindfulness; all strategies to help us focus inward to find the strength to overcome.
1. Know that the “spirit” comes from within and is not defined by outcomes, success, wealth, achievement, or what others think and say about you.
2. Mindfulness and meditation are mental activities that allow one to clear the mind of day-to-day worries. Mindfulness allows us to define ourselves in terms of our self-perceived inner strengths. For example, I can focus on positive qualities of giving and caring to others so I may go out and act in accordance with these positive attributes.
3. The spirit-within-us is non-judgmental and accepts us unconditionally no matter what errors and failures we may have made or feel guilty about. Prayer, mindfulness and meditation are the communication tools that allow us to converse with this entity that forgives without questioning. The spirit is renewed with such forgiveness.
4. The spirit is diminished by negative thinking and actions toward ourselves and others.
5. The spirit is enhanced and strengthened by positive thoughts and actions towards others.
6. Jesus Christ and the Christian Religion do not speak of the rebirth of the flesh, but of the Spirit. The spirit can be renewed in any moment of any day, and in every moment. All you need to do is press the virtual “refresh” button.
7. The first “Optimistic Stamina” is the skill to let go of a negative, a failure, a setback in a moment or less, always, no matter how big the challenge. How else is such a feat possible except to view every failure and setback as an opportunity to experience spiritual rebirth on a mini or grand scale, so that you can say to yourself: “What can I learn and how can I grow from this situation or experience?”