Self-reflection: Be honest with yourself
Spiritual awakening is about changing your perspective about the world, others and yourself. In order to achieve this, you must look honestly at yourself and see things objectively – Your faults, your mistakes, your ego, what you have been doing with your life, and how you treat others. For many people, this is impossible to see clearly because we can only see from our own perspective, thinking and acting as if I am the center of the world. But when we start to see the self objectively, we can see ourselves more clearly. This is not an easy task but with practice, can be achieved.
Eliminate the ego: The ego is merely a product of your thoughts which are not necessarily true.
Enlightened people are not thought of as egotistical. They are typically referred to as self-less or without “ego.” They way the did this was by eliminating the ego or the false self and have gone beyond their physical limitations. Through eliminating the false self, one can find their true self and achieve what many have not: eternal, unconditional happiness. Once you kill the ego, you will become humble and you will be come magnetic to others and so relationships will improve.
Forgive people and yourself: Yes we have all been hurt before, but if you hold on to it, is it going to hurt that person more or you? Many people hold tightly to their pain and continuously think about it and they end up taking these negative thoughts to their death bed. Resentment and anger have led to their stress and suffering in life. Forgiving others and eliminating those negative thoughts will help you move on so you can start living in the present and find true peace and happiness.
Embrace your fears: Allowing fears to control you will destabilize your mind and prevent you from taking action on the things you want to or should do. Spiritually-enlightened people don’t let their fears control their life. Those thoughts simple do not exist in their mind.
Meditation: One of the most ancient and widely practiced ways to achieve spiritual enlightenment is Meditation. Our minds are filled with thoughts that control us and use up all of our energy and cause illness. They prevent us from taking action and leave us with stress, anxiety and worries. Meditation is the action of eliminating the negative thoughts in the mind. Without eliminating the thoughts, we would be stuck in the same position because our thoughts didn’t change.
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
-Albert Einstein
Detach yourself from worldly things: By being attached to material things, your mind is focused on the constant pursuit of material possessions and thus there is no peace of mind. Once you become honest with yourself and kill your ego, you will automatically become less attached to worldly things. Your mind will become more calm and peaceful because you are not trying to chase something and you will happy just as you are. Detachment doesn’t mean leaving everything behind and not having any material possessions but merely not being dependent on material things for happiness or peace of mind.
Prayers and pilgrimages: Taking action is the best way to become enlightened. These are great action steps to begin your journey. Sometimes we get to caught up in our daily life that we find that there is no time to pursue meditation as a part of life. However, when you take the time off to solely pursue spirituality and find yourself, your mind can focus more easily on obtaining spiritual enlightenment.