Thirteen Qualities of a Spiritual Life

silhouette-of-woman-holding-globeDo you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, why? Is it because you meditate regularly, enjoy nature walks, or like books by Deepak Chopra or movies like The Secret? Those things are all quite wonderful, but spirituality is about far more than what you believe or know or do. Spirituality is about how you show up in the world and how you relate to your fellow human beings.

If you are not naturally and consistently expressing the following thirteen qualities,you may not be as “spiritual” as you think. We all have lots of room for improvement. If we’re not careful, it’s all too easy to fall prey to self-absorption and an unwarranted sense of spiritual superiority. Make a habit of checking in with yourself to make sure you’re interacting with others with:

 

ACCEPTANCE

Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes.
          Friedrich Nietzsche


APPRECIATION

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
           Bonnie Jean Wasmund

 

COMPASSION

Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.
           Hafiz

 

DISCERNMENT

If it is not truthful and not helpful, don’t say it.

If it is truthful and not helpful, don’t say it.

If it is not truthful and helpful, don’t say it.
If it is truthful and helpful, wait for the right time.

          Buddha

 

EMPATHY

Suffering and joy teach us, if we allow them, how to make the leap of empathy, which transports us into the soul and heart of another person. In those transparent moments we know other people’s joys and sorrows, and we care about their concerns as if they were our own.
          Fritz Williams

 

GENEROSITY

Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.
          Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

 

HONOR

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.
          Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

HUMILITY

Humility doesn’t mean you think less of yourself. It meansyou think of yourself less.
          Ken Blanchard

 

INTEGRITY

You may be the only Bible somebody else reads.
          Mark Twain

 

INTIMACY

If you had an hour to live and could only make one phone call, who would you call, what would you say, and why are you waiting?
         
 
Stephen Levine

 

KINDNESS

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.
          Mother Teresa

 

LOVE

To love someone means to see him as God intended him.
          Fyodor Dostoevsky

 

REVERENCE

Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed. I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.
          Thomas Merton






ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA

Through God’s Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World, is a road map for living a more peaceful, beautiful life. It’s the one book that explains how dozens of spiritual principles interact, how to weave them together into a cohesive worldview, and how to practically apply this spiritual wisdom to daily life.

Who will benefit from reading Through God’s Eyes?
Anyone who is on a spiritual path, or wants to start one.
Anyone who loves life, or wants to learn how to.
Anyone who is happy, or wants to be happier.

Click here to order your copy of Through God’s Eyes from GodsEyesAmazon.com.
For an inscribed copy, click here to e-mail Phil for information.

Click on the link below to download a FREE 28-page chapter!
SEE EVERY MOMENT AS A GIFT

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Here is a two-minute video introduction to Through God’s Eyes.




Like to learn more about Through God’s Eyes? Here is a free 44-page PDF sampler from the book that includes:

• an overview of the book
• the complete table of contents
• the Foreword by Caroline Myss
• my Introduction
• chapter excerpts
• a sample end-of-chapter story
• endorsements from authors and thought leaders

Just click on the link below to download your free PDF sampler!
THROUGH GOD’S EYES PDF SAMPLER




Schedule a Mastery Mentoring phone session with Phil to learn how to apply principles of spiritual living more effortlessly and effectively. Priced affordably! Click here to e-mail Phil for details.



logic-of-living-a-spiritual-life-book-cover

Phil’s eBook, The Logic of Living a Spiritual Life: Supporting a Life of Faith Through Logic and Reason, is now available for 99 cents.

Order it at GodIsLogical.com.

In this eBook, you’ll find answers to questions like:
• What is the cornerstone of a spiritual life, and why?
• What is the secret to liberating yourself from other people’s judgments and expectations?
• How do you reconcile the “free will vs. Divine Will” conundrum?
• Why is there an exception to “Everything happens for a reason”?


Those who worship logic instead of God are only half right. Not only is it logical to believe in God and to live a faith-based life, the existence of a loving, benevolent God that governs all creation is perhaps the only systematic worldview that explains every aspect of life.



SiSe_fullcover_final.inddPhil is also the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent authors and thought leaders he interviewed. The roster of storytellers includes Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Neale Donald Walsch, Caroline Myss, Larry Dossey, Rachel Naomi Remen, Bernie Siegel, Dean Ornish, and Christiane Northrup. Sixty Seconds has been translated into four languages: Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories.

Click here to order Sixty Seconds.

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Learn more by visiting the official Sixty Seconds website.

Here is a three-minute video introduction to Sixty Seconds.





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