Every year, I am always spiritually lead to fast for a significant amount of time from food, social media, and other things so that I can just gain additional clarity from God about what the next direction in my life is.
Often that clarity also assists with my approach about how I should live and conduct myself. Many times in the past, I have found myself praying and desiring things that I and my spiritual demeanor weren’t equipped for.
However, during this week, I experienced so much peace because I changed my daily routine, and that change allowed me to think about how many times I don’t start my day thinking about me and what’s best for me internally.
Normally, I wake up, hit the snooze button a few times, then completely surrender that it’s time to get out of the bed and make up my bed, (My mama and daddy taught me right.) Ha! I then proceed to pick up my phone and immediately get lost in text messages, emails, and the dreaded Social Media tunnel. Once I run around my apartment with phone in hand, trying to do everything and be the most, I then manage to get out of the door and start my day.
The week of fasting, I woke up and said some gratitude mantras, prayed, then checked a few emails and texts, went and had tea and though about certain inner spiritual thoughts. I also made sure that I wrote every day about the fast, my thoughts concerning the sacrifice, and what I was gaining from this moment.
I eliminated the anxiety that comes from social media or starting my day with these questions at the focus:
What to do?
Who thinks of what I do?
How do I think of what I do?
Is who I am being realistically portrayed?
I have resolved that I need to start my day differently and incorporate more of the “fast behavior” into my morning because my days have so much clarity and purpose to them, and I also feel more prepared for my day. In addition, start my day with me as a focus instead of what others think of me has helped me welcome in peace, understanding, and joy.
Many Buddhist monks, and those seeking to live on a higher spiritual plain, often live a “fasted life,” and are in consistent pursuit of blocking out a certain degree of the world so they can live successfully in it; I’ll try find the balance in between all of it, and stay connected to God who created me.