Month: February 2023

Beginner’s Guide to Emotional Self-Care

Posted on by James Miller

Discover what emotional self-care is, why it’s important, its benefits and how to practice it right here.

When we think about taking care of ourselves, most of us assume it’s all just physical.

When we’re sick, we take medicine. When we’re tired, we lie down and rest. When we’re hurt, we clean the wound and patch it up with a Band-Aid till it’s healed.

No surprise there since it’s easier to treat what ails us if we can see it. But that causes us to unwittingly overlook the other aspects of our well-being.

Unfortunately, the part of ourselves we tend to overlook the most is our emotions. We push them aside and ignore them so we don’t have to dwell on them.

You might think your emotions aren’t that important, but whenever you’re frustrated, stressed or burned out, that’s your body telling you to pay more attention to them.

To help you start taking much better care of yourself through emotional self-care, here’s our definition of what it is and our explanation why it’s important along with 5 benefits to serve as proof and 5 simple and easy ways you can practice it.

What is emotional self-care?

Emotional self-care refers to the process where we focus on our emotions and take the necessary steps to appreciate and take care of them in order to safeguard our well-being. This involves taking time to relax or do the things we enjoy in order to feel better emotionally, mentally and, ultimately, physically.

Why is emotional self-care important?

It might be a bit hard to imagine how our emotions can have such an impact on our overall health. It’s not great when we’re sad, that’s for sure. It can definitely ruin our day. But how can the way we feel influence our minds and bodies?

If you don’t take care of your emotional health, you’ll suffer from its detrimental effects on your mind, body and even the people in your life.

If you don’t take care of your emotional health, you’ll suffer from its detrimental effects on your mind, body and even the people in your life.

For example, if you always get frustrated when things don’t go as planned, you won’t be able to focus because you’ll be agitated, your physical health will decline from all the stress you feel and people won’t enjoy being around you due to all the negativity you emanate.

On the other hand, if you take good care of your emotional health, you’ll enjoy the several benefits of doing so.

Benefits of Emotional Self-Care

Become More Resilient and Balanced

Being resilient means being able to face, cope with and overcome the challenges we encounter in our lives.

If our emotional health is well taken care of, we’ll feel more confident facing our problems, giving ourselves a much better chance of dealing with them.

Taking good care of our emotional health also keeps our mental and physical health balanced.

Whenever we feel stressed about our work, family or relationships, our minds will stay calm and our bodies will remain healthy because our emotions aren’t neglected, protecting our well-being.

Become More Resilient and Balanced

Being resilient means being able to face, cope with and overcome the challenges we encounter in our lives.

If our emotional health is well taken care of, we’ll feel more confident facing our problems, giving ourselves a much better chance of dealing with them.

Taking good care of our emotional health also keeps our mental and physical health balanced.

Whenever we feel stressed about our work, family or relationships, our minds will stay calm and our bodies will remain healthy because our emotions aren’t neglected, protecting our well-being.

Gain Improved Self-Esteem

Our emotional health and self-esteem are closely tied together.

The better you feel about yourself, the more confident and satisfied with yourself you’ll be. The more confidence and satisfaction with yourself you have, the better your self-esteem will be.

A healthy self-esteem can be difficult to develop, what with all the things in life that can bring us down. You can protect yourself from all that negativity only if your emotions are tended to. The better you take care of your emotions, the easier it will be to keep them in check.

Be Able to Express Yourself Better

It’s hard to be our true selves when we always feel bad. Constantly viewing ourselves in a negative light can make us think others see us the same way, discouraging us from being authentic.

Since emotional self-care involves self-compassion and understanding, practicing it lets us get to know and appreciate ourselves better.

The healthier our perception of ourselves is, the more authentic we can be.

Enjoy Improvements in Your Relationships

Many people rely on their significant others for emotional support. While this is necessary in any healthy relationship, overreliancecan lead to problems.

We can avoid that by preserving our self-worth through emotional self-care.

The more intact our happiness stays outside our relationships, the better we can fulfill our own needs if need be.

Within our relationships, tending to our emotions keeps us in tune with them.

The more attuned we are with how we feel, the better we can communicate them to our partners, keeping our relationships strong.

Reduce Your Risk of Depression

With symptoms such as persistent sadness, tension and anxiety, it goes without saying that depression has a major effect on the emotions of those who suffer from it. It can go as far as wreak havoc on your everyday life, causing you to lose interest in the things you normally enjoy. Protect yourself from it by practicing emotional self-care. A study revealed it can reduce its symptoms.

How to Practice Emotional Self-Care

Listen to Music That Suits Your Mood

Listening to calming music is a great way to put ourselves at ease whenever we feel stressed. It will only take a few minutes. You can even create a playlist so you’ll always have calming music ready to go instead of spending time searching for such music online. But when you feel you need to blow off some steam, you can listen to heavier stuff instead.

Start Journaling

Journaling is a great way to release our emotions. It’s much easier to acknowledge, identify and accept them when we write them down than do so in our heads. It’s also easier to get rid of any negative emotions we might be feeling by journaling as it lets us symbolically leave those emotions between the pages, making it easier for us to bounce back.

Meditate

Meditating helps us calm ourselves and relax, letting us better manage our emotions. For the best results, make it a habit by doing it every day.

Set and Enforce Healthy Boundaries

Boundaries are the limits we set for other people in order to safeguard our emotional health. A good example would be saying no to things that wouldn’t be in our best interests. Those include helping out with chores even if you have work to do and always covering for a co-worker whenever they’re absent.

While it might rub some people the wrong way, we ought to put ourselves first when needed to keep ourselves emotionally healthy. Doing so makes sure our needs aren’t disregarded, which is essential to our well-being.

Ask for Help When You Need It

No matter how hard we try, there will come a time when we’ll need help with our emotional health.

For instance, we might have taken on so much responsibility that we feel overwhelmed.

To feel better, we’ll need other people to accomplish everything we set out to do.

Remember, there’s no shame in seeking help when needed. As the saying goes, no man is an island.

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10 Best Natural Detox Foods

Posted on by James Miller

Here are our 10 picks for the foods that can make for the best all natural detox.

Each of us has a different opinion when it comes to what makes a good natural detox.

Some say we just need to drink more water. Others say we should eat less sugar and processed foods. Then there are those who say drinking less alcohol will do the trick.

They’re not wrong. These are effective ways to rejuvenate our bodies. But if you ask us, they don’t sound all that easy.

Just take cutting back on sugar and processed foods. It’ll be great if you pull it off, but it involves what could be a pretty drastic change to the way you normally eat. Anybody who’s trying to lose weight will be the first to tell you that’s easier said than done.

Instead of making a major change to how you eat just so you can have a natural detox, why not add natural detox foods to your diet?

Healthy, tasty and most probably available at your nearest grocery store at affordable prices, these foods are packed with all kinds of nutrients that can help your body detoxify itself naturally. All you have to do to enjoy these foods as an all-natural detox is to add them to your diet—making them arguably the best natural detox there is.

To help you get started on your journey of healing your body from the ravages brought on by toxins, here are 10 of what we trust are the best natural detox foods.

Spinach

Spinach is a green and leafy vegetable that, just like any other vegetable, has hardly any calories but is rich in vitamins, like:

  • Vitamin A, which is good for your sight, growth and immunity
  • Vitamin C, which helps protect your cells from free radicals
  • Vitamin E, which helps keep your blood, brain and skin healthy
  • Vitamin K, which is necessary for normal blood clotting
  • Vitamin B1, or thiamin, which is essential for glucose metabolism and healthy nerve, muscle and heart functions
  • Folate, which is important in red blood cell formation and for healthy cell growth and function
  • Magnesium, which helps keep your blood pressure normal, your bones strong and your heart rhythm steady
  • Iron, which helps transport oxygen throughout your body
  • Calcium, which you need to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth

Spinach also contains compounds called flavonoids that help keep you healthy by acting as antioxidants, which help fight off infectious cells, like cancer.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a green vegetable that looks just like a miniature tree. Aside from vitamin C and vitamin K, it’s rich in sulforaphane, a sulfur-rich compound that helps your body keep infectious cells at bay and boosts liver function.

You might be surprised to know that sulfur is good for you, but it actually has many health benefits. Not only does it help protect cells from damage, it also builds and repairs DNA.

To get the most out of eating broccoli, it ought to be steamed or stir-fried instead of boiled. Doing so preserves it.

Blueberries

Blueberries are fruits considered as powerful healing plants for their impact on health.

To begin with, blueberries contain a natural aspirin that helps lessen the damaging effects of chronic inflammation. They also help prevent urinary tract infection and keep toxins from reaching the brain.

Blueberries can be consumed raw or as jam, jelly, juice and even wine.

Avocado

Say what you will about millennials and avocado on toast, but the fruit is great for keeping healthy.

Considered as “nutrient-dense” fruits, avocados are packed with vitamins, including several B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K and potassium, which helps manage blood pressure by helping your body remove sodium.

Avocados can be served raw, as a dip called guacamole, a spread or soup.

Grapefruit

The grapefruit looks just like an orange on the outside, but its flesh is usually bright red. Just like the avocado, it’s loaded with nutrients, like:

  • Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, which helps break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates
  • Biotin, which helps keep your eyes, hair, skin, liver and nervous system healthy
  • Potassium
  • Vitamins A, C and B1

The grapefruit also contains fiber, which isn’t only necessary in regulating digestion, but helps prevent certain diseases.

Kale

Like spinach, kale is also a green and leafy vegetable, except it has a distinctly earthy taste.

Since it’s rich in amino acids, kale is great for staying healthy. It lets your mind stay sharp and your cholesterol manageable. It’s also high in magnesium and potassium, which helps with blood pressure management.

Kale can be served as chips or as an ingredient in certain dishes.

Celery

Celery is a green vegetable with thick, juicy, ribbed stalks and parsley-like leaves. It’s most commonly used as a herb, but it’s also an excellent blood cleanser for being full of anti-inflammatory substances. It’s so effective that even celery seeds, which are turned into powder and used as a spice, also have the same effect.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a green vegetable that bears shoots ending in pointy, feather-like clusters.

Not only is it a good source of fiber and vitamins, A, C, E and K, it contains the antioxidant glutathione and folate, or vitamin B-9, which is important in the formation of red blood cells and for the healthy growth and function of cells.

Asparagus is best served boiled then tossed into a salad or some pasta or with just a squeeze of lemon.

Legumes

Legumes are basically the edible seeds of certain plants. Examples include peanuts, soybeans, chickpeas and lentils. They’re full of fiber, which helps cleanse the intestines, lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels. They also contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Beets

Referred to as beetroot in British English, beets are vegetables that grow a round, reddish-purple bulb with green leaves. They’re high in antioxidants and rich in more than a few nutrients, such as betaine, which helps your liver rid itself of toxins, as well as a fiber called pectin that clears those toxins.

Beets can be eaten raw, boiled or roasted and either alone or mixed into a salad.

     References

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              10 Best Herbs for Weight Loss

              Posted on by James Miller

              Here are our picks for the 10 best herbs for weight loss to help you shed those unwanted pounds naturally.

              There are many ways people can lose weight. We can eat more vegetables, we can cut back on our sugar intake, we can work out and, of course, we can go on a diet. What we aren’t usually told to do is eat more of something.

              Surprisingly enough, eating certain foods can help us lose weight. Among the most effective are herbs. They’re most often used as seasoning, so we don’t typically eat a lot of them. But they help keep our weight down when added to our diets by either letting us better fight off food cravings or boosting our bodies’ ability to burn fat.

              To help you get started on your weight loss journey, here are our 10 picks for the best herbs for weight loss that will not only make your meals more tasty but also more healthy.

              Ginseng

              Ginseng is a fleshy, light-tan root with stringy, twisted shoots. It vaguely resembles a voodoo doll, hence its nickname “man-root.” A staple in traditional Chinese medicine, it has many health benefits. Rich in antioxidants, it may reduce inflammation, boost your brain’s functions, your immune system and your energy levels; and lower your blood sugar or blood glucose. Studies suggest it’s a powerful weight loss aid, able to stimulate weight loss, delay the absorption of fat and modify its formation. It’s available as herbal teas, energy drinks and dietary supplements.

              Caralluma Fimbriata

              Caralluma fimbriata, or caralluma for short, is an edible cactus that grows in India. It’s used in preserves (ex: chutneys), medicine and diet pills. It’s thought to aid weight loss by increasing the levels of serotonin, the chemical that affects mood, emotions, appetite and digestion, in the body. When this happens, your appetite decreases. The less you want to eat, the less food you consume. The less food you eat, the more you lose weight.

              Gymnema Sylvestre

              Gymnema sylvestre is a woody vine with green, elongated, oval-shaped leaves that is native to Asia. Australia and Africa. Aside from just gymnema, its common names include Australian cowplant, periploca of the woods and gurmar, which is a Hindi term meaning “sugar destroyer” in English. Its last nickname perfectly (although a bit dramatically) describes its ability to ward off sugar cravings by reducing the sweetness of foods. Excessive sugar intake has been proven to cause weight gain. Since gymnema sylvestre helps avoid this, it effectively aids weight loss.

              Withania Somnifera

              More commonly known as ashwagandha or winter cherry, withania somnifera is a short, tender shrub with elliptic, dull-green leaves that bear small, green, bell-shaped flowers and tiny, round, orange-red fruit. Native to India and North Africa, it’s been called the “king of Ayurvedic herbs,” able to reduce the levels of cortisol—the stress hormone—in the body. Since being stressed can lead to overeating and withania somnifera helps relieve it, the herb is effectively a weight loss aid.

              Green Tea

              Green tea isn’t just a nice, relaxing drink. It’s also a great weight loss aid, thanks to its several weight loss-aiding properties.

              To begin with, green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate, an antioxidant that can boost metabolism.

              It also has caffeine, which helps our bodies burn fat.

              Last but not least, it’s scientifically proven to curb food cravings by suppressing appetite as well as stimulate the hormones that help burn fat as well.

              Hibiscus

              Aside from planting some in your garden, you can take hibiscus flowers and boil them to make a vermillion-colored tea that can help you lose weight. The plant itself contains antioxidants called anthocyanins, phenolic compounds and flavonoids that all boost fat elimination by helping regulate the genes involved in fat digestion. It’s also been scientifically proven to lower the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver, fat accumulation and adipogenesis. It also reduces ghrelin, the hunger hormone, in the body as well as blood pressure.

              Dandelion

              Just like the hibiscus, the dandelion is a pretty flower that can be turned into fat-fighting tea. It’s been scientifically proven to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties. It also increases our sensitivity to insulin and our ability to secrete it, which both help regulate our blood sugar levels, as well as improve digestion. Its leaves may also help reduce blood sugar, cholesterol levels and a type of fat found in the blood called triglycerides.

              Aloe Vera

              Almost everybody knows aloe vera is good for our hair and skin. What most of us probably aren’t aware of is how helpful it is in losing weight.

              In addition to being an Ayurvedic herb for having laxative properties, it can help boost metabolism, enabling our bodies burn fat better.

              To enjoy its weight loss benefits, you can take 1–2 teaspoons of aloe vera extract every day or take the plant’s gel right from its leaves and add it to the juice or smoothie you drink every morning.

              Arugula

              Usually eaten as part of a salad or burger, arugula is quite a nutritious herb. It’s a great source of folate, vitamins A, C and K; and the dietary minerals magnesium, manganese and calcium. As a weight loss aid, it helps our bodies produce a digestive enzyme that helps metabolize carbs.

              Rosemary

              Most commonly used as seasoning in a variety of dishes, such as stews, casseroles, salads and soups, rosemary is a surprisingly good weight loss aid. It has antioxidant properties and helps reduce blood sugar levels by increasing liver glycolysis, or the breakdown of glucose stored in the liver. It also increases fat oxidation, or the process of breaking down fatty acids.

              References

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                                10 Manifestation Techniques for Success That Work

                                Posted on by James Miller

                                Here are our 10 picks for the manifestation techniques that are sure to help you succeed in life.

                                “You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, love big and live big.”

                                This is one of the many notable quotes of Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist who emigrated to Pittsburgh with his parents in 1848 at the age of 12, started working as a telegrapher and later became one of the richest Americans in history. By the time he was 24, he had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, bridges and oil derricks. Aside from becoming a leading philanthropist in the U.S., Great Britain and the British Empire, he is best remembered as having led the expansion of America’s steel industry in the late 19th century.

                                Who wouldn’t want to be as successful as Andrew Carnegie, right? But where do we even start?

                                Well, as Andrew himself so cleverly put it, it all starts in the mind.

                                The mind is an amazingly powerful tool that can be harnessed to achieve what we desire. That involves manifestation, the process of using the right thought processes to make our dreams come true.

                                There are many ways to achieve this, referred to as manifestation techniques. Some are more effective than others. To help make sure you get the most out of life, here are our 10 picks for the most effective manifestation techniques for success.

                                Start Clearing Your Mind of Negativity

                                Many people don’t go after what they want because they’re discouraged by their negative thoughts.

                                Take fear. Sure, it can be scary to pursue our goals. It might be hard, we might fail and most don’t even know how to go about it.

                                But why cast yourself down right from the start?

                                Hope for the best instead of stressing over everything that could go wrong.

                                If you start out in a positive frame of mind, it will be easier to keep trying to achieve your goals even if it gets hard. The more you try, the better your chances at success.

                                Determine What You Really Want

                                If asked what they want in life, most people answer with vague concepts. The most common ones include happiness, love and lots of money. While these are all great things to have in life, they’re not exactly clear. For example, when we say we want lots of money, what do we even mean? Do we want $100 million? A billion? How much would be enough?

                                Instead of thinking about your success in such broad terms, be more specific. Say you do want to be rich. Instead of just being wealthy, why not start a business that becomes so successful you’ll be able to retire in the next few years?

                                The more concrete details your goal has, the easier it will be for you to come up with the steps needed to achieve it.

                                Dig Deep Into Your “Why”

                                Okay, we admit, figuring out the one thing we really want to have or do is easier said than done. It’s like trying to predict how our lives will turn out in the end. It’s not easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

                                If you have a hard time coming up with your life’s goal, explore why you want to succeed. Understanding why you want to have or do a certain thing will make it clear what that one thing you really want to have or do is.

                                For example, if you want to fall in love, what you might really want is to meet someone with whom you could spend the rest of your life and who feels the same way about you so you can be safe, secure and happy when you’re old.

                                Remember, be as detailed about your goal as possible so you know exactly how to achieve it. You’ll only be able to do so by exploring your “why.”

                                Trust the Process

                                As we already said, pursuing your life’s goal won’t be easy. You’ll have to work hard, you might have to make sacrifices and you might have to get out of your comfort zone. But, as Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. president, said, “Nothing worth having comes easy.”

                                If you do have a tough time trying to succeed in life, know that it’s just part of the process. Just keep it at. Surrender to the process. Believe in it. Believe in yourself that you’ll make it. When all’s said and done, your life would have been changed for the better. 

                                Visualize Your Success

                                Remember that saying “fake it till you make it”? It’s not just for developing self-confidence. It can also be applied to the pursuit of success.

                                Picture this: You’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. You have thousands of employees. You make billions of dollars every year. You own multiple mansions across the country. You have a loving spouse and kids.

                                If you already see yourself as having already succeeded in life in your mind, you’ll be much more confident you’ll succeed in the real world. You can gain this confidence by visualizing your success as often as you can. The more clear your success is in your mind, the more confident you’ll be.

                                Physically Prepare for Your Success

                                As important as it is to see yourself as successful in actually becoming so, you still need to do things to make it happen. In other words, you need to take action. That involves making the necessary adjustments in your life to make sure your “wish” gets granted.

                                If you want to be in a relationship, that means making the needed space for it in your life.

                                If you want to land your dream job, that means gaining the skills you need to get it.

                                Project More Positive Energy

                                It can be hard to stay positive if you run into obstacles in pursuit of success. Keep negative thoughts from creeping back into your mind during hard times by becoming more positive.

                                The easiest way you can become more positive is by being nicer to the people around you. Smiling more, asking them about their day and giving them compliments are just some of the ways you can try that take little to no effort.

                                The more positive energy you exude, the more positive energy you attract. The more positive energy you draw to yourself, the more positivity there will be in your life.

                                Become More Grateful

                                It’s easy to assume we haven’t achieved much in life when we compare ourselves to others. But if we look closely, we’ll realize we have so much more than what we thought we had.

                                If you have a roof over your head, you eat three meals every day and you have electricity, clean clothes, clean water and a clean bed to rest on, you’re better off than millions of people around the world.

                                Be grateful for everything you have and every step you take towards achieving your goal—no matter how small—and your life will be brimming with positivity, attracting success to you even more.

                                Start Living in the Moment More

                                Every time you start looking back on all the mistakes you’ve made in the past or thinking about everything that could go wrong in your life in the future, yank yourself back to the present. There’s nothing we can do about what we’ve done in the past and there’s no knowing for sure what will happen to us in the future, but we can make the best of the present.

                                Use the Manifestation Tools That Best Suit You

                                Given how hard pursuing success could be, it’s a good thing there are tools we can use to give ourselves a fighting chance.

                                For instance, if you’re a visual person, you can use a vision board to visualize your life’s goal more easily.

                                No matter what you choose, just make sure it suits you so you won’t have any issues with it. The easier it is to use, the more help it will be in achieving your goal.

                                References

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                                    Our 10 Top Spiritual Growth Verses in the Bible

                                    Posted on by James Miller

                                    Here are our 10 picks for the most powerful spiritual growth verses in the Bible and the meaning behind each to help you or your loved one in need grow spiritually.

                                    With the world as it currently is, full of uncertainty, many seek help to cope.

                                    Some are able to through the support of their loved ones, their community or sheer force of will.

                                    Others, unfortunately, are still searching.

                                    A lot of people think they need to search far and wide to find the aid they need, but they actually don’t have to.

                                    They need to start looking within themselves.

                                    To develop life habits consistent with values such as compassion, empathy and generosity that enables you to not only keep going even in the face of adversity but also thrive, you need to experience spiritual growth.

                                    What better to guide you on your spiritual journey than the Bible, the Christians’ sacred scriptures that have been helping us find our way for centuries?

                                    So you or your loved one in need can start experiencing spiritual growth as early as now, we’ve listed below what we trust are 10 of the most compelling spiritual growth verses in the Bible and our interpretations of each.

                                    1 Corinthians 13:11

                                    “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

                                    One of the many things that differentiate children from adults is how immature they are.

                                    For example, children can get so overwhelmed and upset when things don’t go their way that they can cry or throw a tantrum.

                                    That said, kids are still growing. Adults can’t expect them to be as mature as they are. But some still behave as if they were kids. They’re narcissistic, petty and cruel.

                                    You can no longer act like a child if you want to grow spiritually. You’ll gain the maturity needed to experience spiritual growth only when you do.

                                    1 Corinthians 3:1-3

                                    “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly–mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”

                                    Make no mistake, maturity isn’t something that’s just for show.

                                    It’s not based on the clothes you wear, the way you carry yourself or speak.

                                    It all boils down to your attitude.

                                    If your base instincts, like being envious or quarrelsome, still get the better of you, you can’t truly call yourself mature. You need to rise above them or learn how to keep them in check. It will be harder—if not impossible—to experience spiritual growth otherwise.

                                    1 Corinthians 14:20

                                    “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”

                                    How can you start becoming more mature?

                                    You can read about it or follow the good example of others, but it will be better if you take a good look at yourself to find out the things about you that are hindering you from growing spiritually.

                                    What are the things you do or think about that aren’t in your best interests despite your better judgment? Are you materialistic? Do you gossip? Are you a bully? Be honest with yourself and determine your bad traits so you can get rid of them and become a better person.

                                    1 Corinthians 2:6

                                    “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.”

                                    Be careful who you listen to, follow or believe when it comes to changing yourself for the better.

                                    Not everyone you think can help you will actually do.

                                    They might not really know what they’re talking about, they just want to make a quick buck or they’re actually out to get you.

                                    Be as cautious as you possibly can so you aren’t led astray.

                                    1 John 1:7-9

                                    “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

                                    There’s a simple reason Jesus Christ was able to inspire people to follow Him and start Christianity.

                                    He lived such a righteous life that others were practically compelled to do the same.

                                    If there’s anyone you ought to emulate to give yourself the best chance of experiencing spiritual growth, it’s Him. But you need to acknowledge your shortcomings first. Identifying your flaws lets you know exactly what you need to change about yourself, making it more likely you’ll change for the better.

                                    Matthew 5:6

                                    “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

                                    Before embarking on your spiritual journey, you need to set your mind towards achieving your goal.

                                    It can be hard, you might have to make sacrifices and it might take longer than you expect. But try your best not to waver. The prize is too good to pass up.

                                    You’ll be able to face the challenges you might encounter along the way only if you stay focused.

                                    Matthew 23:25

                                    “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

                                    You’d be surprised how many seemingly upright people are actually frauds.

                                    They’re successful, wealthy and seem nice, but they’re actually deceitful, selfish and sadistic.

                                    Strive to be better. While you may not have as much, you’ll truly be a good person.

                                    1 Peter 2:1-3

                                    “So rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

                                    More and more people seem to do wrong now because it’s easier than being good.

                                    It’s easier to splurge on the stuff you like than saving money.

                                    It’s easier to just be lazy and do nothing than waking up early and working hard.

                                    It’s easier to dismiss others or put them down than helping or supporting them.

                                    Don’t succumb to such narrow thinking. Always strive to do good and the best you possibly can.

                                    Colossians 1:10

                                    “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

                                    It could get lonely on the path to spiritual growth. It’s a journey only you can take. There might not be anybody around to cheer you on. But always remember that God will be watching you from on high.

                                    1 Corinthians 3:8

                                    “He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.”

                                    No matter how hard things get, know it will all be worth it once you achieve spiritual growth and start enjoying how better your life will be by becoming a much better person.

                                    References

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