Are you looking for some good summer reading to help you grow spiritually? I don't know about you, but I'm always searching for great books, particular in the summer months when I have more time and desire to read. If you want some book recommendations, I put together a hand-picked, curated list of books just for you! Each of these books are ones I have read, and personally recommend to others. A great book can nourish our soul, and guide us into a new place in our spiritual journey. Here are 10 great books to ignite your spiritual growth and help you know God more deeply:
What books have helped your spiritual growth? Please share in the comments. Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
Sign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa. One of my primary aims with this blog is to resource and equip you in your spiritual and personal development and growth. So today I want to share with you a really useful tool called the Wheel of Life (also sometimes called the Life Balance Wheel). The Wheel of Life is a self-assessment tool that is often used in coaching. It is a great resource for personal and leadership development, and lays a foundation for good goal-setting. I have personally used the Wheel of Life to set goals for personal development, as well as with various people I lead and mentor. How does the Wheel of Life connect with the spiritual journey? Our spiritual lives are integrated with all sorts of other areas of our lives. And if we are seeking to grow spiritually, it is wise for us to step back and do a more thorough assessment of all of the core components of our lives. My 6 Simple Questions for Self-Reflection included a simple version of the Wheel of Life. Since then, many people have asked me for more details on how it can be used. I've been listening, and created a more in-depth exploration of the Wheel of Life tool. Here you will find a tutorial on how to use the Wheel of Life for your own personal development, as well as free worksheets for you. The Wheel of Life The Wheel of Life is a great starting place for you to create balance, cultivate joy, and find fulfillment in your life. By using this tool, you will be able to reflect on how fulfilled and satisfied you are with the various areas of your life. Following this self-reflection, you can use this exercise to determine how balanced your life is, why your Wheel of Life looks the way it does, and what changes you want to make to your life. Ultimately, the purpose of the Wheel of Life is to identify how satisfied you are with your current life, and be able to determine ways to increase your joy and satisfaction. Are you ready to use the Wheel of Life? I have a worksheet packet with instructions. Click HERE or the image below to download your free worksheets. How to Use the Wheel of Life You can create your own Wheel of Life with a pen and paper, or use the downloaded version I created for you. It should look like the image below: a circle, divided into 8 categories. Each section of the circle has a category representing a core area of your life. I used eight categories that made the most sense to me, but feel free to modify the categories so it fits YOUR life. Make sure the categories are meaningful to you. Step 1: complete your Wheel of Life For each section of your Wheel of Life, consider how fulfilled you are in that area. Draw a dot between the center of the circle and the outer circle to represent the amount you feel fulfilled in that area, with the center representing 0% and the outer edge representing 100%. Here are some reflection questions to help you determine your level of fulfillment in each category: Career & Money: Is your career where you want it to be? Are you headed in the direction you want to be going? How satisfied are you with your overall finances? Home & Family: Is your home life and environment fulfilling? How connected and supported do you feel with your family? Personal Growth: Are you satisfied with the direction you are going? Are you learning and growing in the way you want? Hobbies & Creativity: Do you have activities that help you enjoy life and get energized? How satisfied are you with the level of leisure and fun that you do? Life Purpose & Vision: How meaningful and purposeful does your life feel? Do you have a sense that your life has meaning and impact? Relationships: How fulfilled do you feel with the different relationships in your life? Do you have friendships and a sense of community to the level that you want? Spirituality: How satisfied are you with your connection with God? How fulfilled are you at the core of your soul? Health & Wellbeing: How satisfying is your energy and health? Is your level of physical and mental health where you want them to be? After you draw your dots for each category, connect each of the dots with a line to create a shape. Most likely it is a starburst. This shape represents your Wheel of Life. Step 2: assess your Wheel of Life Take a look at your Wheel, and reflect on it. You will notice some areas of life in which you are very fulfilled, and other areas in which you are less fulfilled. Withhold any judgement on yourself - just look at it and notice what you observe. Take some time to answer these questions:
This step is meant to bring your attention to the things you want to improve. Step 3: determine the action steps you want to take Now that you have a deeper sense of your Wheel of Life, you are in a position to take the action that you want. Let's take a closer look at any area of the wheel that you want to change and increase fulfillment. In each of these areas, answer the following questions:
Choose a few actions steps at a time to work on. You should make changes at your own pace. You can also track your progress. Complete the Wheel of Life again in 6 months or so, and see what progress you have made. The Wheel of Life is also a great tool for leaders and coaches. You can use this with people you're coaching, and have it be a starting point for goal-setting and growth. Are you ready to use the Wheel of Life? I have a worksheet packet with instructions. Click HERE or the image below to download your free worksheets. If you liked this article, you might enjoy reading 6 Simple Questions For Self-Reflection. How was the Wheel of Life tool for you? What action steps do you want to take this week to increase your joy and fulfillment? Please share in the comments. Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
Sign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa. Are you looking for ways to grow spiritually? Spiritual development and maturity is such a vital part of our lives, but many of us get stuck or simply need some practical ways to move forward. If you're looking for ideas on how to grow spiritually and continue in your spiritual development, then this post is for you. Why do we get stuck in our spiritual growth? If you’ve been on the spiritual journey for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced feeling spiritually stuck. It may feel like your spiritual growth has plateaued, or your relationship with God has hit a wall. We may be stuck for a whole host of reasons. Maybe we are stuck because there's an area of our lives that we are unwilling to let God shape. Or we are stuck because we're not sure if being in relationship with God is worth the hard effort and work. Or we are stuck because we're in a season of waiting. Being spiritually stuck isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Oftentimes, it simply means that there is a new season God is inviting you to step into - a new way of relating to him, or a new way of living. Take action with your spiritual development. Whatever the reasons for us becoming stuck, I believe we can find our way out. One of my personal principles for spiritual growth is, “Do whatever is working. If it stops working, try something new.” It is often in the act of trying something new with God that we experience a breakthrough and forward momentum. Here are 10 practical ideas for your spiritual growth. 1. Do some deep self-reflection. Make space to reflect about where you are in life and where you want to be. Here are 6 Simple Questions for Self-Reflection that will help guide you. 2. Share about it with a friend. Talk with a trusted friend or spiritual director and ask them to pray with you. Invite him or her into your frustrations and questions. When we are stuck, we are often helped by the simple act of asking another person for help. 3. Create a new Rhythm for Life. A rhythm for life is a simple statement of personal habits that you choose to practice to intentionally center your life on loving God, and allow him to form you. Reassess your current spiritual rhythms. Ask God to give you a few practices and habits to make space for him. 4. Practice gratitude. Create a Gratitude List in a journal or on your wall. Write down all the things that you're thankful for. Celebrate and thank God for those things. 5. Shake things up and do something new. Find a new way of connecting with God. Read a book or listen to a podcast about the spiritual life to gain a new perspective. Go on a hike and spend time with God in nature. Let God nurture you through some self-care for the mind, body & soul. Try the Examen prayer. 6. Help someone else. A great antidote to being spiritually stuck is serving someone else in a practical way. Look for a way to help someone today. 7. Have a conversation with God. Create space to listen to him. Sit quietly, and ask God your questions. Invite him to speak to you. God might give you insights about what is going on in your spiritual life, and direction for moving forward. Write down what you think he is saying to you. 8. Clear away the clutter and distractions. There are lots of things that can clutter our spiritual lives - addictive or unhelpful behaviors, fear, unhealthy relationships, incomplete projects, mental noise. Take a look at what is cluttering your life, and ask, “Is this thing helpful or good for me?” If the answer is no, consider letting it go. 9. Go on a spiritual retreat. Spiritual retreat is time set apart to be in quiet, rest, and solitude with God. Going on a spiritual retreat could guide you into a place of spiritual refreshing and renewing. I have experienced so much breakthrough during personal spiritual retreats, and highly recommend them for anyone wanting to go deeper in their spiritual journey. 10. Brainstorm a list of activities that make you feel alive. Create a list of activities that bring you joy and life. Be as thorough and free with this list as possible. Do something on that list today with God. Keep going! Be encouraged, friends. If you really are stuck in your spiritual growth, God has the desire and the power to lead you out and into the next part of the journey. If you need help with your spiritual development, I would love to hear from you and help you press on with God. Send me an email, and get in touch. What are you doing to grow spiritually? What are things you do to continue your spiritual development? Please share in the comments. Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
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WELCOMEHi, I'm Larissa. I am an artist and spiritual director on the island of O'ahu in Hawai'i.
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