When people hear the word “luxury,” they often think of the shiny objects associated with that lifestyle. Fancy cars. Big houses. Extravagant vacations. Flashy jewelry. Designer clothes. An overflowing bank account. The bitter truth is that you can have all of the above, still, be unhappy and unfulfilled, and have no idea where to look to find the happiness and peace you seek.
I define luxury differently. To me luxury means freedom. Peace. Love. Joy. Acceptance. Fulfillment. Spiritual growth. Transformation. Evolution. Compassion. Empathy. Kindness. Forgiveness. Generosity. Selflessness. Purpose. Meaning. Depth. Humanitarianism.
How do you get there?
How exactly do you make the shift?
Start living life from the soul.
I didn’t always anchor on these soul-based virtues, though. My journey was a long and winding road of life experiences that have shaped who I am. My book SOAR takes you through my path to authenticity in a very raw and real way and illuminates the path to soul-based living. It’s available in kindle, audiobook, and paperback, so pick whichever format works best for you and your lifestyle.
If you feel like you have no idea what a soul is, what it means, or how to get in touch with yours, you’re in good company. I remember a time, in the not too distant past, where I thought words like “soul” were woo-woo and didn’t understand the relevance in my life. Since I discovered the path and unlocked, I experience the luxuries of soul-based living every day. We will take this journey together, one step at a time.
Importance of Soul-Based Living
In order to adopt and sustain a new way of living, we must understand, really understand, the deep-seated “why.” If we don’t, it won’t have staying power. It may stick for a few days, for a week, or even for a month. If we don’t anchor on the deep, compelling reasons why we should approach life in a new way, we won’t have the stamina or the motivation to stay with it.
Chapter 3 of SOAR makes a case for soul-based living:
“When we move from navigating our way around this world from an ego-based perspective and shift into living with intentionality from a soul-based existence, we begin to experience a depth and richness that would not have otherwise been achievable compared to when we were letting our egos continue to direct the sails. We begin to make decisions that fulfill us and bring us inner peace. Our underlying motivating factors begin to change radically when we operate from our Higher Selves. We naturally begin to crave different things than we used to. We start pining after certain “feelings” such as joy, peace, and freedom and arrive at a point where we can’t tolerate feeling any other way.”
Before we can start the journey, we must first understand our beings’ dual nature.
The Ego and The Soul
To take this journey authentically, we must first introduce ourselves to two important concepts…the ego and the soul.
SOAR provides these reflections on the ego:
“To take this journey in an authentic way, we must recognize and explore the soul’s counterpart, the ego. The ego is focused on matters of the physical world, like how we perceive and measure up against certain physical-world barometers. It’s that voice inside our heads that tries to tell us who we are by using certain “control levers” such as fear, doubt, stress and negative self-talk. It’s the force that keeps us wanting to measure ourselves against self-imposed expectations which may or may not be realistic and prompt us to compare ourselves against other people.”
SOAR colors in the soul (also referred to as the Higher Self):
“The Higher Self helps us stay focused on the true meaning of life and our purpose in it. It’s the part of us that is focused on the eternal nature of our being, and not what is happening on the physical plane. It’s what gives our lives depth and richness. It allows us to connect directly to Source Energy and is always striving to deliver to us what is in our highest good…Why is it important to connect to this lifeline and work to keep the connection active and vibrant? This is where our true power is realized.”
Making the shift into soul-based living requires that we recognize and integrate the ego. When we incorporate it in a healthy way, we begin to open ourselves up to unprecedented levels of personal growth and spiritual evolution. This is where we unleash ourselves into higher realms and where life starts to feel amazing.
Allow the Ego to Fuel Your Growth
We have come to this earth to grow and to love. I call this world our “earthly classroom,” because it is a place where lessons and growth are abundant.
The goal is not to totally abolish or silence the ego, and live purely in the light of the soul. After all, we are still in human form, and what comes with that is ego-based experiences. It is only through these ego-infused experiences that we are presented with opportunities to learn and grow, all day, every day.
How we choose to respond to our ego is what sets the tone for your growth and transformation. Like many other things in life, we have a choice in how we respond, and in every moment we have a choice to take the path that moves us forward.
The ego usually gets a bad rap, as it’s often associated with words like “egotistical” or “ego-centric.” It doesn’t have to be this way. When we accept and invite the ego into our lives, there is a way we can allow it to empower us and fuel our growth and transformation.
Cultivate Self-Awareness
We must first cultivate self-awareness to recognize when our ego takes over. How are we spending our time? What are we giving our energy to? How do our thoughts sound like? What are we giving our attention to? Are we giving in to fear? Are we harboring doubt?
When we focus on the physical world rather than matters of the soul, it is an opportunity to choose different thought patterns. Make different choices at the moment. Spend our time differently. Start asking yourself “How does this serve me?” “How does this move me forward?” Challenging moments give us the opportunity to dig really deep and propel us on our paths of evolution.
If you don’t feel like you’re SOARing, you may still live life from the ego. No judgments though! That’s not why I’m here. I’m not here to tell you what you should be doing, or tell you where you should be. The good news is that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. The even better news is that I can help usher you from wherever you are, to a place of peace and empowerment. Reach out and we can set up a time to chat.