When most people think of “spiritual growth,” they may imagine a difficult, lifelong process, perhaps even a daunting one. You may imagine life as a monk on a mountain, meditating for hours a day in an attempt to reach enlightenment. You could envision years of complex study and contemplation.
But the truth is, spiritual growth can be simple, even easy.
Not always, but it can be.
What’s more, learning how to grow spiritually doesn’t mean you have to dedicate your life to a monastery or spend years in contemplation.
You can begin growing spiritually right now, in this very moment – and you can start by following just seven steps.
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Table of contents
Why is spiritual growth important?
Many people see spiritual growth as a process to deepen your connection with God, but this is just one way to think about it.
In fact, being spiritual doesn’t have to be religious at all; rather, it refers to your practice of becoming more aware and intending to how you live your life.
To spiritually grow is to build a strong foundation from which to live your life. It knows who you are, what you believe in, and what is important to you. It means being clear on your priorities and values and living in alignment with them.
It’s about deepening your connection with yourself, others, and the world around you. It’s about learning to love more deeply, be more compassionate, and find more meaning and purpose in your life.
You could say that spiritual growth is about becoming the best version of yourself – whatever that looks like for you.
Basically, it’s being aware of how you want to live your life and then making intentional choices to make that life your reality.
It sounds simple on the surface, and it really is. Surprisingly so.
Again, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. There are certainly going to be hard times, times you fall back into old ways of doing things, and you have to actually spend time figuring out where you’re going and what you want, but that’s the best bit of the spiritual growth journey.
Like tending a garden, this is an ongoing process of looking after yourself and your surroundings, pulling out the weeds you don’t want, and feeding the flowers, you love so you end up with a beautiful garden you’re content and fulfilled with.
And yes, it’s all possible by following just seven steps.
Related: 11 Benefits Of Spiritual Growth
How to Grow Spiritually in Just Seven Steps
Step #1 – Develop a meditation practice
Thousands of studies talk about just how beneficial a meditation practice is. A good practice can reduce stress, promote better sleep, improve focus and productivity, nurture compassion, improve mental and physical health, and much more.
While you’re already familiar with meditation, this step emphasizes having good practice.
Just like all other aspects of our lives, it’s easy to get complacent with meditation, and we end up just meditating for the sake of meditating, forgetting why we started in the first place.
This means experimenting with different kinds of meditation and seeing what works for you. For example;
- Try a guided meditation that addresses certain aspects of your life that you’re trying to work on.
- Adopt a mantra or affirmation practice
- Introduce Yoga Nidra breaks into your day
- Work on improving your mindfulness
- Meditate while you walk, eat, or read
The trick is not to get lazy with your practices because this is where the practice stops serving you, naturally causing you to fall out of the habit, and you’ll then have to start again.
Don’t worry; this is something we all go through!
Be consistent. Work on your practice. Develop it. Nurture it.
This is especially important if you’re experiencing a spiritual awakening. These are opportunities to gain an incredibly deep understanding of yourself, and it’s practices like this that allow you to really make the most of it on an individual level.
See what it can become.
Step #2 – Spend time in nature
Spending time in nature is one of those tips you see everywhere, and you perhaps remind yourself to do every now and then, yet many of us still struggle to make it consistent. And there’s endless scientific research to back this up!
Think about the last time you were in nature and felt that wave of presence wash over you. That feeling of awe when you last spent time in a lovely park, a beautiful forest, or a breathtaking sunset.
When we’re surrounded by concrete and buildings, it’s easy to forget that we’re a part of something much larger. Nature reminds us of our place in the world and helps us feel more connected to everything.
Spend time outside every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Go for a walk in the park, sit in your backyard, or visit a nearby lake or forest.
Let nature help you with your spiritual growth practice.
Step #3 – Indulge in creativity
It doesn’t matter if you’re a painter, a musician, a writer, or even just doodling on a napkin – when you create, you open yourself up to new possibilities and new ways of seeing the world.
Creativity helps us to access parts of ourselves that we may not have known existed. It’s a way to connect with our emotions, intuition, and spiritual selves.
And when you’re able to let go of the idea that everything you create has to be perfect or make money, you can really start to use it as a channel to discover who you truly are. This is one of the best ways to know you’re growing spirituality!
That’s what spiritual growth is all about! Finding out who the real you are, and then aiming to live your life true to that image every day!
Unleash Your True Potential!
Explore the world of meditation with our powerful guided sessions crafted to bring peace and strength to your spirit.
But first, let’s ensure our sessions are the perfect fit for you.
Take our short quiz to find out!
Step #4 – Get perspective
One of the best parts of spiritual growth is the fact that it can’t just all come from you.
As human beings, we’re social by nature, and connecting with others is something we all need to thrive as individuals. And being able to see other ways of living life, thinking, or doing other things, we get to learn more about what works for us as individuals and what doesn’t.
The thing you care about more than anything in the world might be out there right now, and you don’t even know it exists!
Sure, some of us need more connection, and some of us need less, but there’s no doubt we all need it to some degree.
Yet, thanks to the modern world we live in, we’re never just restricted to the people in our immediate environment but can instead have conversations with some of the greatest or most interesting minds of our time.
You can get perspective through reading books (yes, even fiction works!), listening to podcasts, reading articles, watching shows, and basically actively taking an opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes and to see the world through their eyes.
This can be a great way to learn about other cultures, gain new insights, and develop a more compassionate worldview.
If you’re looking for a way to grow spiritually, get a perspective like this, and you may be surprised at what you learn about yourself, how you think, what you believe, and how you see the world around you.
Step #5 – Practice good work
Evidence clearly shows that the best way to be fulfilled and content and find yourself is through the act of helping others. We refer to this as ‘good work,’ but it’s a broad topic covering anything from volunteering at a local soup kitchen to helping a neighbor with their groceries.
Doing good deeds not only helps others but also helps us to feel more connected to the world around us. It’s a way to show our love and compassion and to make a difference in the lives of others.
Step #6 – Let Go of Your Past
A very important part of growing spiritually is to recognize that some of your thoughts, the way you do things, and how you see the world have been conditioned into you from a young age. Many of these beliefs and values may not serve you as you think they do.
Don Miguel Ruiz, a Toltec spiritualist and writer shares a fantastic example of this in his book, The Four Agreements. He talks about how a mother could come home one day after having such a bad day at work and is in a foul mood.
Her daughter, who could be around the age of five or six, is singing in the other room, and she has the voice of an angel. However, mum’s looking for a quiet, and despite being a compassionate mother, her bad day gets the better of her, and she says something along the lines of “Can you please be quiet? I don’t want to hear you singing.“
Being young with her mind still forming, her daughter takes this onboard and starts to believe her mother doesn’t want to hear her singing. Over time, she stops and never really spends the time singing again, even though her voice is a gift to this world.
Take a moment to think about beliefs about yourself and the world and how they might not be right. Do you innately believe you’re bad at managing your money? Maybe you think you’re not good enough for a certain job or that you can’t be in a relationship because you always end up getting hurt.
These are all examples of things that may not be true, but because you believe them to be true, they become your reality.
If you want to start growing spiritually, you must begin to let go of some of these old beliefs and values that no longer serve you and question what you thought was true. This is one of the most important stages of any spiritual growth process, and if you want to seek true enlightenment, it’s one you’ll have to go through one way or another.
Step #7 – Live intentionally
The final step in our guide on how to grow spiritually is to simply live your life with intention. This means being present in each moment and doing what you can to make your life meaningful and purposeful.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle and forget what’s truly important. But when you live with intention, you can connect with yourself and your surroundings much deeper.
Some ways you can live with intention include:
- Doing things that make you happy
- Spending time with people who make you feel good
- Pursuing your passions
- Making a difference in your community
No matter what you do, just remember to be present and to live with intention.
Steps to Spiritually Grow Last Words
We hope this guide has helped you understand more about how to spiritually grow.
Remember, there is no right or wrong way to grow spiritually, so just do what feels right for you. Just dive into these practices, become aware of how you are, what you value, and what the world means to you, and then intentionally live those values every day to the best of your ability.
That’s all there is to it!
If you’re looking to start your spiritual growth, the best practice to adopt and consistently work on is meditation, as this lays the groundwork for the rest of your growth.
Check out our new meditation app to help you take your practice to the next level. Click the links to discover more!
