subject: The Enemies Of Spiritual Development [print this page] Before you embark on spiritual development, you need to know what you might be up against. Know some of the enemies that you could encounter, such as:
1.Greed is a hindrance to spiritual development. It will be hard to cultivate positivity if you're always wanting more, more, MORE! Many people have been destroyed by their own malcontent. As an example, look back at the Wall Street scandals. People who got into those Ponzi schemes knowingly or unwittingly were driven by their unquenchable thirst for more money, which blinded them from the obvious and subjected them to the dangers in investing all their hard earned money into one great scheme. While this isn't to say that you should be content with just enough, or be like the poor to become spiritually evolved, you need to keep your own wants in check to make sure they don't clash with common sense or your morals.
2.Negative self-talk is a hindrance to spiritual development. Being deprecating goes against the practice of cultivating positivity. If you're always saying things like I'm so clumsy or I'm an idiot for forgetting to bring the tent to the picnic or I don't have the skills for that job, then you're setting yourself up for failure. You're also denying yourself of all the great things you can achieve if you would only believe in yourself and give yourself a chance. For your inner peace, start cutting yourself some slack, focus on your strongest points, grab opportunities, give them a shot and give yourself a pat on the back. Become your own best cheerleader!
3.Vices are a hindrance to spiritual development. There's nothing positive about indulging in harmful drugs, excessive liquor, gambling away your kid's college fund, illicit relationships and the sort. Anything that gets your inner voice or conscience all worked up is a sign that you might be doing something wrong, so don't continue fooling yourself into thinking that it was just one incident. One incident can lead to a full-time destructive habit, which can wreak havoc in your spiritual life. Stay away from such temptations and keep yourself busy with activities that can truly help you cultivate positivity in your everyday life.
4.Lack of work ethic is a hindrance to spiritual development. You may consider yourself the kindest person in the world, but if you're lazy, you're not spiritually whole. You are not using the talents that you were gifted with to the best of your ability and you are merely wasting away opportunities that could lead you to the path of success and stability. Additionally, you also hurt the people who love you, for it pains them to see you mindlessly drifting away. Stop being selfish and get moving! Use your skills to get a job, learn new skills and find your niche.
5.Negative talk about others is a hindrance to spiritual development. You might think that gossiping about the neighbor who doesn't know you is a harmless little past time. Oh she doesn't know me or any of my friends so what we say will never reach her. you might say to yourself as you tattle over coffee and cake with your clique. But whether your malicious little gossip will be known by your victim or not is beside the point. Any unkind words that come out of your mouth will negate all the hard work you've done to cultivate positivity in your daily life. So instead of tearing other people down, why not build them up, or try to find out their strong points? That sure beats dwelling on the shortcomings, and remember ALL OF US are NOT perfect.
Armed with this knowledge, you can prepare yourself for those moments when your resolve will be challenged. Good luck!
