In your spiritual journey, you’d face many obstacles which have been put there in order to help you grow and learn.
Don’t be disheartened if your journey seems to be tough. Learn to recognize these challenges for what they are and battle through them with a smile. Here are a few such challenges you might face:
1. Putting boundaries on your capabilities
Very often in life, we undermined ourselves. We create boundaries and limit our potentials just because we are not ready or willing to think beyond these mental walls which we have erected ourselves.
2. Thinking that your job description is you
You might be the Head of operations at a big firm, or a simple employee at some fast food chain. But that is only your job description; don’t confuse your individuality with that one simple title. Don’t define yourself by what you do or what you possess. These material realities can change anytime. Be true to yourself.
3. You criticize yourself for every little thing
Holding yourself accountable is one thing. Belittling and demeaning yourself over every small mistake is something else entirely. Learn to be a little flexible with yourself. Give yourself time to improve on the things you can, and embrace the flaws you can’t correct.
4. You ruminate about events in the past a lot
What a particular someone said, every wrong step that you took, and so on and so forth. You keep bringing yourself fresh pain from old wounds. You need to learn to let go and not take everything to the heart.
5. You feel guilty a lot
There are two instances when you feel guilty. First, where you realize you’ve been in the wrong and hurt someone. Second, when you might have hurt someone but you stand by the thing you did. In either case, you need not carry the guilt with you everywhere you go. In the first case all you need to do is to apologize. In the second, it won’t even matter because there’s nothing you can do about it.
6. You procrastinate a lot
This is something a lot of us do. But every time you see the need to procrastinate just take the deep breath and think about why you need to do it in the first place. Doing this will save you a lot of unwanted trouble.
7. You seek validation from others
You place your self-worth in other’s opinion of you. This is attention seeking behavior. The positive way to get approval is by raising your own self esteem. Learn to respect yourself first, others will follow suit.
8. Your inability to let go of the past
This is the worst. Neither does this let you enjoy your present, nor does it let you move on towards your future. How can you expect to move ahead in your spiritual journey this way?
9. Your habits
We indulge in a lot of habits and activities which are neither productive, nor fulfilling. They waste our time, numb are senses and keep us away from the path we intended to take.