Welcome to episode #202 of the Own Your Best Life Podcast. In a world where spirituality has become trendy and even extravagant, it’s easy to believe that you don’t have time, money or resources for spirituality. Yet, what happens when we start living lives devoid of meaning, connection and inner peace? We realize that something is missing. Today’s podcast on how spirituality is a necessity, not a luxury will help you redefine what spirituality means to you and how to create a life where it is integrated, practical and purposeful.

There are many reasons why people might perceive spirituality as a luxury. Whether it is societal norms, personal beliefs or experiences or even practical considerations, all of these contribute to the idea that spirituality isn’t necessary.

Life has become increasingly fast-paced in nature and professionals often prioritize meeting their financial needs, family responsibilities and work demands. Spending time in spiritual practices like going on a retreat, meditation, stillness or self-reflection can then seem like a luxury.

There are also financial costs associated with attending retreats or workshops and working with spiritual teachers or coaches. If you’re facing financial constraints, you might believe that these activities aren’t necessary for your survival or even your well-being.

Also, depending on your cultural background – there are norms of placing either more or less importance on spirituality, and certain cultures or societies have an idea that spirituality is more of a leisurely pursuit for those who have the time or the financial means and privilege.

Misconceptions about spirituality are also present. Sometimes, people misunderstand spirituality as exotic retreats or esoteric, extravagant practices. This only reconfirms the perception that spirituality is impractical and indulgent in your everyday life.

Achievers also have a focus on external achievements and often are part of societies that place a lot of emphasis on external wealth, job status, and material gains so investing in your inner growth or spiritual development is undervalued or seen as less important when compared to tangible accomplishments or status symbols. You might care or feel spirituality is important, but feel like you shouldn’t care or value it because people around you don’t feel the same way.

There are also the realities of urgent immediate needs and practical realities of life that need to be addressed. When professionals and achievers are addressing personal crises, health issues or financial instability they often feel that spiritual needs can take a backseat to their other urgent, pressing and tangible needs.

Finally, you might have had limited exposure or experience with spirituality for many reasons. You might never have been exposed to more authentic and accessible forms of spirituality that can be integrated into your daily life. Without that first-hand experience or understanding of how spirituality can enhance your well-being, it will be perceived as a luxury or irrelevant pursuit. 

Certain spiritual communities may have also cultivated an image of exclusivity or an elitist image, which also inadvertently perpetuates the belief that spirituality is limited to those who meet a certain criteria or have special access.

Yet, it’s our job to not blindly follow and accept what we’ve been exposed to, especially if it feels that it doesn’t help your current life questions and concerns. It’s important to understand that spirituality, in its essence, is a deeply personal and universal aspect of the human experience that goes beyond our socioeconomic or external circumstances.

While there are certain expressions of spirituality that may require resources or time commitments, the core principles of spirituality like meaning, connection and inner peace – can be accessible and beneficial to everyone, regardless of perceived luxuries.

When we buy into the belief that spirituality is a luxury, we reduce the benefits that we can receive right now and inner growth becomes inaccessible unless we have copious amounts of time, money and resources to devote. 

Is it truly the case that spirituality is a luxury when you consider the spiritual achievers who are creating practical results while having more inner peace and connection? Isn’t it highly practical when our sense of meaning, connection and inner peace helps us get jobs that are purposeful, spend time on what we find meaningful or gives us the resilience and clarity to become leaders in our families and communities? Spiritual achievers have all the reasons to be stressed, overwhelmed and stuck – but they are not avoiding life’s most pressing challenges or work. They’re in the daily challenges we all face and doing it just slightly differently. I realized that you cannot just disappear from hard situations to find relief and inner peace. I also realized that our experiences are full of highs and lows, and that we need the skills to be able to work with life, stress and failure so that we can find new and innovative ways to work and live while having a rich life experience.

This is why I focus on spiritual, high-performance strategies in our coaching work together. 

When you realize that your inner growth and spiritual development drive clarity and focus, you end up creating results in our external world that reflect your values and ethics. Instead of being someone who means well and has good intentions, you are also executing and behaving in ways that reinforce who you are and what you believe. 

You no longer feel as misunderstood by those around you who you feel are challenging to work with – and the mental chatter in your mind reduces. Your relationships improve because you have more empathy, compassion and deeper connections with others. You have more meaningful and supportive relationships with your coworkers, friends and family.

Your stress levels reduce and your resilience and mental well being increases. You have more energy to give towards pressing concerns like financial or health needs and you have a laser focus on being able to put time and energy towards your most important concerns. You become more resourced, creative and have more ideas to contribute to help solve problems at work and at home.

Instead of replacing your work or diminishing the way you spend your time, your spirituality enhances it. Imagine having a sense of clarity and focus come over your daily activities and tasks, instead of a fog of outside noise and inner critics all clouding over decisions. Instead of feeling stuck, you feel the inner shifts create external results. You are more decisive, acting with authenticity and authority while experiencing much more internal peace and wellbeing.

You also stop placing excessive importance on material wealth, which can help you make better financial decisions and stop the cycle of incessant consumerism. This shift in perspective can help you stop chasing external validation and get off the cycle of constantly chasing success through work alone.

You can continue to believe that your inner growth and spirituality are a luxury and find yourself resenting others who have created more inner peace and outer success or you can pursue spirituality in accessible, practical ways to have it enhance your well-being, work-life balance and today.

If you believe in accessible, inclusive and practical spirituality, you’ll want to become a spiritual achiever. You can enrich or deepen your own human experience no matter where you’re coming from in life.

If you’re curious about experiencing these results for yourself, I want to invite you to watch the free training on how to Stand Out and Lead, using spiritual, high-performance strategies: STAND OUT AND LEAD.

You can apply to join my Spiritual Achiever® program, where you’re going to create your next chapter with spiritual and high-performance strategies to achieve time and financial freedom using my proven method. It’s risk-free. You either start seeing results within your first month or I give you your money back. Schedule your call here at www.mayempson.com/contact.  We’ll see you inside.

Want to know more about what happens when you join?

1. When you join Spiritual Achiever® Coaching you’ll be supported for a full year: Career Revelation Academy: A 5-step career change process (if you have a job you want to stay in, I’ll show you how to love it even more) that can launch you into your next career chapter in 30 days.
2. 2x/month group training and coaching on Spirituality, Achievement, Earth Energy and Harmony. You’ll know how to design your days for breakthroughs, create a personal brand and community, lead yourself and others through change, become more physically and mentally fit, reduce stress and reinvent what’s possible in this next chapter of your life.
3. Discover your Leadership Strengths and Branding Workshop: Increase your awareness of what makes YOU different from others and how to become even better at your genius zone.
4. Your Best Year workshop: Create your one year plan and design this next year, no matter what time of the year it is.
5. Your Next 5 Years one-day virtual retreat: Vision what’s possible 5 years from now and break out of your old routines so you can step into new habits, behaviors and routines.
6. Tickets to all in-person Spiritual Achiever retreats (discounted rates): Highly immersive and intimate gatherings where we spend time in nature, experience energy work, eat and move well – all while making big decisions and committing to what’s next for us.
7. Monthly 1:1 Coaching Sessions: To help you break through obstacles, define your individual path, and to work on both strategy and mindset.

The next step?

Schedule a consultation to get clarity on how coaching can help you on your journey.

Once you’re accepted into the program, you’ll receive a calendar invite for a 2-hour deep dive 1:1 session to map out your personal goals and your own year-long journey.

You’ll have immediate access to the Spiritual Achiever process and philosophy – how to achieve your biggest goals and reinvent your life.

You’ll have immediate access to 5 modules of Career Revelation Academy – to love your career even more and launch that next chapter of your career in 30 days.

You’ll have the calendar invites for the upcoming group calls and retreats.

If this speaks to you, I can’t wait to talk to you live: Schedule a consultation.

Reach out at www.mayempson.com/contact for more information on my Spiritual Achiever coaching program. You’ll figure out what’s next and actually go and do it. 

That’s it for this week. Have an amazing one and I’ll talk to you next time.