There are many different times in our lives when we may need the help of a spiritual mentor who can step in and guide us through. But how do you know when to ask for help? How do we know exactly when we can’t do it on our own? What are the signs we should be looking out for?
Let’s break it down for all of those who might need help. The most important part of receiving help though is actually being prepared to do the work. A mentor or coach is NOT a quick fix, so you need to be willing to learn and grow with their help. Here are some signs that it might be time to ask someone for help:
Major Life Change
When you’ve experienced a major life change, you can often forget who you are, and it can become difficult to know how to move forward.
A major life change may include:
- A relationship ending
- Changing careers
- Moving to a new place
- Illness/Death in the family or of a friend
A major life change can be an event or occurrence that has taken place, whether positive or negative, but the main point is that your life is never going to be the same, and it can never go back to the way it was before.
These emotions have taken over
When you are living a life where these negative emotions have taken over, and you can’t seem to break free from them, you may want to consider getting help:
- Resentment
- Bitterness
- Anger
- Jealousy/Envy
- Loneliness
- Unworthiness
- Limiting beliefs in yourself
Lost your power
Through a relationship, romantic, family, friendship, or work, the other person has taken your power away. You may not notice it when it first happens, and they usually have no idea what they’re doing. This person has told you to be a certain person, live a certain way, and have certain values and standards.
- You feel like you have to be a certain way for this person
- You are constantly changing to make them happy
- You are constantly worried about how they will react
- Your world and your life revolve around them, in a negative way
You’ve put your spirituality on the backburner
You’ve put your own personal spiritual experience on the back burner because you’re too busy focusing on different areas of your life. You have no energy to give to yourself because all of your efforts go into outside endeavors.
You’re so busy waiting for the destination
Your mindset is only on the future and dreaming about the end destination. You keep telling yourself that you just need to get through another day and you’ll be closer to the end. You have forgotten to enjoy the present because your life is filled with too much stress and negativity that you don’t even want to stop and think about it. Any spare moment you have is filled with dreaming of a future moment, which you don’t know when you’ll ever get there.
What spiritual guidance is available to the average person?
No spiritual mentor is going to be a perfect fit for everyone, so who you consider following is up to you and your own personal belief system. Here are some to consider and their core values.
- Philosopher John de Ruiter the voice for spiritual evolution: “the way to know truth is core-splitting honesty and an open and soft heart.” De Ruiter is a Canadian spiritual leader and author who conducts meetings in Edmonton, Alberta, and abroad.
- Mooji is a Jamaican spiritual teacher based in the UK and Portugal. He gives talks and conducts retreats based on the spiritual concept of Satsang – the invitation to step into the fire of self-discovery.
- Diana Winston is a mindfulness guide who has been teaching, writing, speaking, and consulting on mindfulness for personal development as well as building healthy institutions for 20 years.
If you believe you can benefit from a spiritual mentor, please do your research and select the one you feel will work best for you. However, don’t be afraid to also reach out to other supports in your life if you need it.
