7 Things Every Spiritually Awakened Person Needs to Know

Ever wondered why one person revels in happiness while another is stuck in plain ol’ misery? Why one man is rolling in dough, and another is pinching pennies?

Perhaps you’ve questioned how one woman can heal herself from, say, stage four cancer, while another can't. Or why some people exude effortless confidence while others are afraid and anxious all the time.

I'm sure some of these scenarios even resonate with your own life experiences. But why do you think this is?

You might say, “Well, I was born under the wrong star. I didn't get a big family inheritance. I've been dealt a bad hand. I'm cursed. It's the government, the economy, my parents, Big Brother…,” you know how it goes.

But what if, in our pursuit of external explanations, we’ve forgotten who we really are and that we can change the cards we’re dealt?

So, how do we reach that place of more happiness, peace, and abundance?

Instead of a brief answer or two, how about I share seven lessons that changed my life?

These were the messages I needed during my many breakdowns and dark nights of the soul…when I was too far gone, couldn’t pick myself up, and didn’t want to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

If you’ve faced similar experiences and need some gentle reminders, may these words of encouragement hold value for you.

#1 Remember Who You Are

Sometimes, our day-to-day life makes us forget that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around.

And so, we give our power away to external things and believe our negative thoughts. Thoughts like, “Bad things are happening to me,” “People are out to get me,” or “I need to lie, cheat, and steal my way to success.”

In these moments, it’s much easier for us to blame the government, society, the stars, or anything else really, than face the music and take responsibility for our lives.

We lose sight of the fact that we are both the marble and the sculptor, the dream and the dreamer of this existence.

We forget that we willingly chose to come here to create our realities and have fun with the energies of life.

Shocking as this may sound, we even knew of the obstacles beforehand, the hurdles that would get in our way, and the immense joys we would experience after overcoming those obstacles.

In other words, we all agreed to be a part of this merry-go-round called life, even if only for a little while.

So, to quote the wise words of Mufasa:

Remember who you are !

The truth is that reality is not confined to what you can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. It’s much bigger than that.

According to Kabbalah, a school of mystical teachings, the material world makes up only 1% of reality. It is simply the final “manifested” effect we perceive with our five senses.

The other 99% belongs to the spiritual world, to pure consciousness.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, you are not a body. You are a Soul (who happens to have a body).

So, in the moments when your thoughts take you down a darker path, remember who you are. Take a step back and realize that you and I are and always have been divinity in human form.

Having said that, knowing yourself is only half the story, which brings me to my second lesson.

#2 Love Yourself Unconditionally

Growing up, we’ve been conditioned to love only parts of ourselves – the “good,” “clean,” “successful,” “obedient,” “right,” or “holy” parts – whether we’ve learned it from Mom and Dad, school teachers, or some proud religious figure.

This is how we’ve come to reject the parts of us that we've labeled “messy,” “dirty,” “raw,” “wrong,” “bad,” “dark,” or “intense.” And so, we continue to shame, suppress, and deny half of who we are – our shadows.

Is it surprising, then, that most of us don't really know how to love ourselves?

I love how Louise Hay put it.

You've been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.

So, my second game-changing moment revolved around the word duality.

This physical plane is a plane of duality. It is where our Shadows – our so-called flaws, shortcomings, and imperfections – sit at the same table as our Light – our talents, gifts, and infinite potential.

So, why only embrace the light and vilify the shadow? Why accept the talents and fight off the imperfections? Why welcome the gifts and drive away the flaws?

Aren’t they all the different expressions of us?

Besides, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. We all have this dual dance within us. The sooner we make peace with it, the deeper the love we feel for ourselves and others.

The lesson I learned next was equally groundbreaking.

#3 Awareness and Kindness Go a Further Distance

Many of us experience life using the reward and punishment system. We punish ourselves when we move towards pain (what we don't want in life) and reward ourselves when we’re closer to pleasure (what we do want).

But is this the best way?

Zhuangzi said that reward and punishment are the lowest forms of education, and I completely agree.

For me, it is the perfect example of conditional love. And guess what…we’re not designed to learn this way.

Rewarding ourselves for the “good” we do and punishing our “bad” behaviors will only push us to become conditional with ourselves.

It will only reinforce our negative patterns and instill fear in us. Imagine minds once hungry for life now drenched in constant, needless fear. What a life!

I found that awareness, kindness, and love are much better tools.

What if, instead of being hard on ourselves for making a mistake, we invite more kindness in? Rather than punishing ourselves for not getting what we want or falling into an old habit, can we offer ourselves a little extra compassion?

Yes, it may take a bit of conscious effort to notice when we fall into the trap of reward and punishment, but it’s worth it. When we become aware of this cycle and kill it with kindness, we break free from this conditioning once and for all.

What if we treated our “mess-ups” the same way?

#4 Normalize Your Setbacks and Failures

This was a big one for me.

The perfectionist in me definitely had a hard time swallowing this pill – that relapses, breakdowns, spirals, failures, what have you – these are all okay!

I learned that failures are not what make or break us. Falling down is not what defines us. These things are part of the natural ebb and flow of life.

Can you imagine how sweeter life becomes when we take the ‘it’s okay’ route more often?

Einstein got it right when he said that failure is success in progress – it’s a stepping stone to success, not its opposite. Like two sides of the same coin, we need to fail to find our way to success.

And here's the juicy bit. Failure does not hurt. But the meaning we’ve given it over the years may. You will find the best illustration of this in toddlers.

Just look at them. I bet you can’t even count the number of times they tumble and fall to the ground and still have the best time doing it. Nothing deters them from standing up again. Absolutely nothing.

They don't see falling as failing. Not even close. They simply brush it off and keep going.

What if we embraced our falls, or what we perceive as a fall, and tried again?

This is where perception comes in, the ultimate solution to literally everything!

#5 Perception is Everything

There is a profound saying by Wayne Dyer that goes something like this. When you change how you look at things, the things you look at change.

This revolutionized everything for me.

Isn't it interesting how some people see the world burning to the ground, and others see it rising from the ashes? Have you noticed how some people consider their time on earth an adventure, and others see it as nothing short of a tragedy?

Where do you stand in relation to all this? Do you believe humans are inherently friendly and supportive, or do you see them as fear-driven, embodying an “every man for himself” attitude?

There are no wrong answers here, but whatever perspective you adopt becomes true for your life.

And sadly, many of us still hold on to this “poor me” narrative. We often go there because it makes us feel validated for a minute. Slipping into these victim stories is easy because we haven't practiced disciplining our thoughts.

It's simple. If you don't like what you see on the screen, change the movie you have playing in the background.

It's not personal, just a matter of perspective – a game of focus. Whatever we focus on mentally, we hold in place vibrationally.

Where focus goes, energy flows, always.

Once we understand that the problem (focusing on what we don’t want) and the solution (focusing on what we do want) are available to us at any moment, we can choose where to place our attention.

This is why perception is everything.

So, what poison will you pick? Cynicism or Gratitude? Fear or Love? The troubles of yesterday or the blessings of tomorrow?

#6 Do Not Be Discouraged When Things Take Time

I understand that in today's world of instant gratification, we can easily be tricked into thinking that we won't get our happy ending if we don't attract our soulmate in the next five minutes or become a millionaire overnight.

This idea of manifesting at the drop of a coin, although very possible, has proven to be more discouraging than helpful. No wonder many people are too quick to give up on their desires. I was basically one of them.

But here’s a comforting thought. Just like Epictetus said, No great thing is created suddenly.

Think about it.

Is the day you plant the seed the same day you eat the fruit? Is the day you decide to bring another human into this world the same day you hold that human in your arms?

Is the day you start your business the same day you become a millionaire? Is the day you identify an unwanted habit the same day you rid yourself of it?

You get the point. Just because some things take time in this 3D space-time continuum doesn't mean they will not happen.

So, remind yourself not to be discouraged. Try not to rush things that need time to grow, and keep moving forward with faith and positive expectations.

#7 Forgive Again and Again and Again

Nothing liberates us faster from anger, pain, and resentment than forgiveness.

Sure, it's nice to practice it once in a blue moon, but making it an integral part of life is something else entirely.

It's the ultimate act of freedom!

I’ve learned that when we forgive, we release. We release the people, situations, memories, or things from the past and take our power back. When we forgive, we truly set ourselves free.

Lewis B. Smedes said it best. To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

It's the fastest, maybe even the only ticket to freedom.

And here's a helpful trick: never force yourself to forgive. Instead, set the intention of forgiving and let go. When you’re ready to drop a fifty-ton truck bearing down on your lungs, you will.

Trust me on this. But, most importantly, trust yourself.