12 Tangible Benefits of Strengthening Your Spiritual Connection
by Starcat

A strong spiritual connection can seem like a lovely extra, something you would pursue if only you had more time and energy. Those uplifting memes on Facebook are great, but this is real life, you’re just too busy for much more.

Waiting until all is well in your life before you cultivate spiritual connection is like calling your doctor only after your scary symptoms have all gone away. It’s way more effective to utilize spiritual tools regularly so that you can live a happier and more purposeful life, day in and day out.

Here are some of the tangible benefits to nurturing your connection with the Divine.

1. Increased compassion. You’ll find you have more compassion for not only loved ones, but also those who piss you off – the rude server, the guy who cuts you off in traffic, and even the outlandish politicians. Your connection with the oneness that lies at the source will show you that they, like you, suffer, fear, and long for love.

2. More patience. Rather than pushing on to the next task, you’ll stop and listen to your kids’ daily joys and woes and the antics of their imaginary friend. The present moment will expand, and you’ll take time to listen and just be.

3. Less drama. When you’re centered, you’ll find you have a loss of interest in gossip, blame, envy, and other things that make you feel icky afterwards.

4. More energy. When you go deep within and connect with what is timeless, you detach from the rat race. Paradoxically, when you let go of the attachment to getting things done, you’ll find that you’re actually more productive, and you have more energy for your daily tasks.

5. Emotional balance. You’ll find you have a moment of grace, a pause to evaluate whether blowing your stack at your partner for leaving the kitchen a wreck is actually productive. Not that you’ll ignore it or stuff your anger away, but instead of venting it on someone else, you’ll feel your way through, and then talk with them calmly when it feels right. Equanimity will become a familiar state of being.

6. More awe. Removing your expectations and living in the present moment means that everything is a gift. You’ll feel more wonder at the little things in life – clouds, flowers, a beloved’s smile, the way the sunlight sparkles on the water, the flavor of dark chocolate or clementines. This will bring you more joy, which in turn draws more of what you love to your daily experience.

7. Better sleep. Whatever tool you choose as your means of connecting – meditation, yoga, prayer – regular practice will enable you to release stress that you might not have even known you were carrying. This will help you sleep better, and longer, each night.

8. Increased courage. You’ll still feel fear and nervousness, of course. That’s part of being human. But with increased spiritual connection, you’ll find that you’re braver about taking the steps that will move you toward your biggest dreams and goals. You’ll feel and acknowledge your fear and then do it anyway.

9. Smoother decision-making. Whether you’re trying to decide what to make for dinner or where to go next with your career or creative callings, stronger spiritual connection makes deciding easier. Once you learn to turn down the mental chatter, you’ll find that the voice of your intuition will be clearer and louder. This is your inner wisdom – learn to trust it.

10. Less desire for validation. When you’re in tune with your inner source, you’ll notice a huge drop in your caring-what-others-think-of-you factor. This is a good thing. It will become much easier to trust your inner guidance and let go of comparing yourself to others.

11. More grace. It feels really good to be in the flow, to move through your life like a graceful dancer. You’ll be in step more often than not, when you pay regular attention to your spiritual guidance.

12. Effective role-modeling. Finding – and returning to – your deep spiritual connection makes you a role model for kids and other folk. People in your life will notice that you’re less stressed and smile more, and will want to know why. Avoid pushing your personal beliefs or practices on them, but do share about your process and why it feels good to you. You’ll be an active force in the awakening of human consciousness that’s going on all over the globe.