Jared Akers

The Spiritual Serenity Series: Step 6, Action

by Jared Akers

Welcome back to The Spiritual Serenity Series: 7 Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness. Last week we looked at step 5, Confession. This week we are looking at:

Step 6: Action

So far we’ve talked a lot. Although working on the inventory and sharing our secrets with someone else could be considered action, it’s now time to see how serious we really are about change.

Not once in my life have I gained true spiritual growth by simply thinking or intellectualizing about something.

We’re talking about action, like in 9 Ways to Get the Funk Outta’ Here, “You can’t think your way into good living, you must live your way into good thinking“

This is where the rubber hits the road.

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
-Lao Tzu

When I started my current job, my life coach/spiritual advisor suggested that I go around each morning and introduce myself to three new people. I thought he was kidding. He wasn’t. I felt that would be out of character for me, after all, I’m shy. He said, “Jared, you’re making it all about you, it’s not about you. It’s about meeting new people and building relationships. Being shy is another way of being self-absorbed and self-centered.” [Read more…]

The Spiritual Serenity Series: Step 5, Confession

by Jared Akers

Welcome back to The Spiritual Serenity Series: 7 Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness. Last week we looked at step 4, Self-Searching. This week we are looking at:

Step 5: Confession

Oh great you’re saying… I have to confess my sins? Actually… yes. Admitting our faults to another human being, someone qualified to hear them, is an important step in being honest with ourselves. We hold back nothing for I am as sick as my secrets.

How is telling someone else our deepest secrets being honest with ourselves? It is the process of saying the words, getting them out into the open, which helps in our healing. By healing our self-image and moving closer to a real perception of ourselves, we move towards truth—truth about ourselves. Not until we truly know who we are, can we move forward into what we might become.

We often find that many of our secrets, things that we secretly condemn ourselves for, are not as bad as they may seem. It is important we share them with someone else for this amazing and spiritual transformation to work. So we find someone who is familiar with the process and understands what we are trying to accomplish. [Read more…]

The Spiritual Serenity Series: Step 4, Self-Searching

by Jared Akers

Welcome back to The Spiritual Serenity Series: 7 Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness. Last week we looked at Identification. This week, we are going to look at self-searching.

Step 4: Self-searching

Now that I have identified my problem, I’m set right? All I need to do is stop doing that! After all, knowledge is power! For me, it was not quite that easy. I self-educated myself for years, it did not work. I could avoid making the same mistakes or feel good for a period of time—years in s0me cases—but without an entire psychic change, I eventually found myself in the same state, defeated and depressed. Self-knowledge alone did not work.

What I needed was some humility and an honest self-appraisal—humility gained by honestly looking at my life and how I was living it. In recovery, we call this a moral inventory. We need to identify the unsalable goods, the character defects that are hindering our spiritual growth. [Read more…]

The Spiritual Serenity Series: Step 3, Identification

by Jared Akers

Welcome back to The Spiritual Serenity Series: 7 Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness. Last week we looked at Acceptance. This week, we are going to look at identification.

Step 3: Identification

Now that I have accepted what needs to change, I can identify what areas I need to work on. Remember, just because we accept something, does not mean we have to like it.

I identified that a self-destructive life run on self-will had seriously contaminated my thinking over the years. The void inside my soul existed no matter what I filled it with; be it money, profession, alcohol, relationships, etc., nothing worked. I was emotionally and spiritually bankrupt and as a result, my thinking was extremely misguided.

Nadia over at HappyLotus said it nicely in her post The First Step to Happiness:

“Usually the desire for material items as a means to happiness is a cover for an emotional issue. Granted this is not always the case … So be careful to distinguish why you want certain things and that will be the first step of your journey to finding happiness.” [Read more…]

The Spiritual Serenity Series: Step 2, Acceptance

by Jared Akers

Welcome back to the The Spiritual Serenity Series: 7 Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness. Last week we looked at the first step, Awareness. This week we’re looking at:

Step 2: Acceptance

As a result of step one, Awareness, we’re now aware that we need to change some aspect of our life in order to find happiness. Yet simply being aware will not accomplish anything. Especially if we’re unwilling to change that aspect of our lives. This is where acceptance comes in. We must be able to accept what it is we need to change. If we can’t get to a place of acceptance, that is recognizing and owning what is standing in our way, we’re stuck. Denial is a word that comes to mind here.

It’s important to note that just because I accept something does not mean I have to like it. Early on this was difficult for me to understand, but as I grow spiritually, acceptance because easier—even if means facing something uncomfortable—because I know I will grow from it.

[Read more…]