Is a spiritual life being dedicated to God or binding yourself to a faith? Does a spiritual life involve becoming a missionary and delivering the ultimate truth to the fallen? Perhaps a spiritual life means that you must memorize every word of the Bible or some other sacred text. Maybe you will be living a spiritual life simply if you attend church or temple on a regular basis.

While having a spiritual life may include some of the above actions, these statements do not necessarily define a spiritual life. For some individuals, binding themselves to a faith or dedicating their life to service may bring forth a profound feeling of belonging. For others, however, such actions might inhibit the individual’s ability to feel like a spiritual being. Simply put, no action is right if it produces the wrong reaction.

With that said, let’s go back to the original question. What is a Spiritual Life? A spiritual life is a lifestyle and daily routine that creates and reaffirms the feeling of a personal connection and a particular purpose in this universe. In other words, you are living a spiritual life when you realize the interconnections of this world, understand your place within those mechanisms, you determine the overall purpose of your being within these circumstances, and you strive towards achieving that aim.

This is no small task and is not exactly an undertaking that can be done overnight. A spiritual life is a very personal and individualized concept. The exact definition of your version of such will be unique to you. What works for you might not be beneficial to another individual. What resonates with you as true and leaves you feeling like you belong and that you understand your place in the world may leave someone else feeling lost and confused. Therefore, creating a spiritual life is not something you can attain simply by following steps one through nine or by parroting the words of another individual.

How do you find out what a spiritual life will look like for you? The good news is that you’ve already started. You are reading this column. Though I don’t and would never pretend to be some sort of spiritual life guru with all of the answers, I have done a good deal of spiritual searching in my lifetime. I have tried and continue to learn new ways of understanding the world, new interpretations of life purpose, and different explanations about interconnections of life. I am awed and fascinated by the shear number of possibilities and the very different ways that individuals can create content connected lives.

I do have my own beliefs and my own versions of the truth but will try as much as possible to leave these beliefs at the door so to speak. My aim for this column is to present a wide variety of examples, resources, and techniques for you the reader. Perhaps some of my articles will help you gain new insight into your own spiritual life. Maybe you’ll realize that certain concepts definitely don’t fit into your views. Possibly, you’ll find a new avenue of exploration into your own life quest. Hopefully, reading this article will be a start, a single step, on your journey towards a spiritual life.

Article originally published in Spiritual Life at Suite101.com