Scanning Your Spiritual Environment

It’s easy to think that personal development and spirituality are two different things. Each thing in its place, right? The truth is, they are inextricably connected. Your beliefs inform your growth and your actions and often your actions inform your beliefs.

Recently, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my environments – that is, what I surround myself with and how it does (or does not) help me grow. My group coaching partner and I recently developed a free worksheet about upgrading your work and creative space (access it here), but today, I want to challenge you to scan your spiritual environment.

Here are just a few questions to ask yourself to get started on surrounding yourself with the things, relationships, and inspiration to nurture your faith life.

• In your home and work, what items do you have that remind you of spirituality’s place in your life each time you pass them? Is there anything new you want to introduce to your space to help you refocus on your spirituality?
• What sources of inspiration do you rely on to consistently grow in this area of life? What has made the biggest impact (e.g. spiritual books, email subscriptions, prayers, etc.)? Is there a source of ideas that has actually distracted you from spiritual growth? What might you add or cut out?
• Who in your life encourages you spiritually? Is there a way to prioritize this relationship so that you can become an increasing support to one another?
• What space do you make in your day for spirituality? Is that time easily forgotten or delayed? What ways can you experiment with fitting spiritual practices in your routine to find the best fit?
• In what ways do you carry your spirituality with you each day? This could take the form of something you wear, prayer postures you regularly adopt, or an item you take with you to remind you to stop and pray.

Whatever your belief system, spirituality is a foundational opportunity for growth. This week, I’m reinstating an old habit of starting the day with spiritual reading. I’m not much of a jewelry wearer, but I’m going to experiment with wearing a faith-centered bracelet to remind me to be more patient, prayerful, etc. (we’ll see how it goes!).

This summer, I’m really focusing on various environments (physical, relational, spiritual, ideas, etc.) with my coaching. One-on-one clients get so much out of this method of coaching (contact me if you want to see if this model is a good fit for you!) and my coach friend and I are launching an exciting new group coaching program next week (stay tuned!) that explores in-depth how to upgrade your environments.

What’s one change you can make in your spiritual environment in the next week?