(ThyBlackaMan.com) A poll conducted by a black male advocacy group Millennium Men of Color several years ago revealed that 54% of respondents cited ‘personal spirituality’ as the most effective change-agent for black male empowerment. There were three other choices on the poll, including the black church. That statistic says much! It suggests that black men are beginning to believe in their own power and that they are willing to seek out new ways of bringing that empowerment into reality.
Personal spirituality is connecting one’s personhood to a Higher Power, thereby taking ownership of the way in which one thinks and believes and the way in which one takes responsibility for one’s life.
Follow these three ‘Life Sets’ (a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one’s time and daily activities in a more efficient way) to improve the quality of your personal spirituality.
Life Set#1
Develop a Ritual of Time Alone
Develop a ritual that brings you into closer communion with Divinity. Although I do not discount the power of corporate worship, a man shall not live by church worship alone. We should seek God in our solace; we need time in repose. Spend time in the silence. Light a candle. Turn the television off. Silence the phone. Engage in prayer. Read Holy Scripture. If you have a family, alert them to your quiet time or wait until the home is still at night. This is your time and space to reconnect to a Power much greater than you. You may find the words of Ellen Burstyn true: What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be.
Life Set#2
Get Physically Active
There is no spirituality without a commitment to physical exercise. How can you care for the spirit and yet neglect the physical? We are body, mind and spirit. Get active. Commit to a form of physical activity or exercise for at least one hundred and fifty minutes per week. Do pushups and squats every day. Get at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Drink more water. Make better food choices. Drop the alcohol and smoking. Cleanse your body. It’s the first step to cleansing your spirit. Hippocrates was spot on when he wrote: Healing is a matter of time, but it is also a matter of opportunity.
Life#3
Commit to Personal Growth
Commit to learning. Read more books. Invest in a journal and lose yourself in the power of the pen. Writing is therapeutic. Focus on key areas of your life that could use some improvement. Consider completing your degree plan or, at the very least, shore up your skill-sets at the local community college. Don’t let time be a factor. You had time to get out of shape, to allow your learning skills to lag. Now it’s time to reverse that trend and become powerful thinkers! Remember the words of John F. Kennedy: Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
To experience a more effective personal spirituality, develop a ritual of solace, get physically active and commit to continuous growth and development.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitefitnesscoaching.com.
