March 29th, 2020

PRAYER and MEDITATION

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My experience. Growing up I was raised in a Christian household and for a long time just went through the motions when it came to any type of religion. Once I was old enough to start formulating my own opinions I had completely stopped going to church as a whole.

It wasn't until much later when I was going through this major life change that I saw the importance of having a higher power and what it could do/provide for my life.

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Higher Power
v. Religion -

A HIGHER POWER is something GREATER than us. For many people, God is a higher power.. For others a higher power isn't associated with RELIGION or a deity. ... Regardless of what a this looks like - a belief and trust as an act of faith in a power greater than yourself is something - in my experience vital to my day to day success.

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My Personal Prayer Routine -

This is something very personal to me but in sharing I hope I enlighten and inspire some of you to give this a try. In learning about a higher power I realized that I was a very spiritual person but maybe not as into organized religion. There is no right or wrong answer as this is something that is case by case but in my experience this routine can be applied to any belief system.

When I am feeling un - enthusiastic ( the word enthusiasm literally means Devine Inspiration or Inspired by God) I turn to a few tools. I love tapping into gratitude and the things I am grateful for. Readings like The God Memorandum from The Greatest Miracle in The World is a reading I need frequently to remind myself how blessed I am.
Writing out a gratitude list has been MAJOR, in getting re-inspired

I also think it is important to cut time out of my day to dedicate to making contact with something greater than me - many people call this prayer. For me it is important to slow my thoughts and breathing -with meditation a lot of the time - and actually get on my knees to contact the universe. For me it is helpful because it's an action associated with my words and I get self worth from knowing I took time out of my day to take this action.

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The Breakdown-

For a long time I didn't know what to say or ask for while praying.... for me the breakdown that works best is....

I ASK GOD TO BE WITH ME IN THAT MOMENT
THEN I SAY THANKS FOR ALL THAT I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH 
I PRAY THAT GOD HELP REMOVE ANY DEFECTS OF CHARACTER THAT ARE NO LONGER SERVING ME
I PRAY FOR OTHERS- GOD BE WITH THEM THROUGH WHATEVER IT IS THEY ARE GOING THROUGH AND I PRAY FOR THEIR HEALTH AND WISH THEM ABUNDANCE IN LIFE
THEN I ASK GOD TO WALK WITH ME AND COME FIND ME THROUGHOUT MY DAY WHEN I NEED HIM THE MOST
​AMEN

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Along with prayer I also utilize Meditation. For me I have learned about so many good recordings on Spotify and Apple Music that I can do first thing in the morning for a clear headspace or as I am falling asleep. I will write more on meditation and mindfulness but knowing there was helpful resources for me to use was greatly beneficial.

​I hope you all are staying safe and would love to hear your experience as well 
xx Ben