Are you searching for deeper, spiritually authentic meaning in your life? You’re not alone; the hectic demands of life in the 21st-century have made many people feel disconnected.
Perhaps what you need is a spiritually authentic connection to help bring a sense of balance and completion in your life.
Many people confuse spirituality with religion and believe that spiritually authentic wellness can only come from religious beliefs. Duane Bidwell, author of “When One Religion Isn’t Enough: The Lives of Spiritually Fluid People” defines Spirituality as a method of expressing a person’s way of relating to Mystery.
Mystery can be difficult to explain, especially relating to matters of the spirit and religion. Spirituality can include ritual, prayer, physical movements and postures, spiritual disciplines, beliefs, values, commitments, and traditions – all of which can be ways to connect to the sacred.
Religion consists of formal structures and practices that shape an individual’s (or a community’s) relationship to Mystery and to the world. Religious tenets carry and speak with authority to particular individuals and communities that identify as part of the religion and its traditions.
Authenticity means the quality of being authentic – to be genuine and of undisputed origin. Living authentically means that you are being true to yourself, not living with a false face or as a copy of someone or something else, being your real self.
Spiritual authenticity, wellness, and balance come from much more than subscribing to a particular religion. Some people do seek religion for their spirituality, but spirituality can be achieved without belonging to a specific religion. Spirituality can work through religious structures, communities, and traditions, but often functions apart from them.
How to Develop Spiritually Authentic Wellness
Essentially, developing spiritually authentic wellness means working 
toward identifying what you believe in at your deepest core, and realizing how your spiritually authentic beliefs can give you inner strength and support you through even the roughest patches in life.
Going beyond spirituality and compounding it with authenticity and wellness puts a laser focus on your journey and can help you chart a path that is specific to you and your life.
When you’ve developed spiritually authentic wellness, you can:
- Respond to others honestly and truly, regardless of the situation.
- Express the genuine, heartfelt values that you uphold and stand behind them at all times with certainty and power.
- Understand the meaning of life and become in tune with the meaning of your existence.
- Lead a fulfilling, positive life – with the strength to weather challenges.
How do we achieve spiritually authentic wellness? Each of us has to develop our spirituality in our own way, staying true to ourselves.
Your chosen path may take you on a different journey than another’s, and that’s perfectly fine – no two people HAVE to walk the same path in order to reach their goals.
When you’re ready to begin your journey toward spiritually authentic wellness, consider the following suggestions:
Step 1 – Question the purpose of your existence. Ask yourself a few key questions as you begin and continue your journey to achieve balance through spiritually authentic wellness. Self-exploration is the key to developing a sense of spiritually authentic balance. Ask yourself:
- What defines me?
- What is the purpose of my existence on the planet?
- What things, people, and ideologies should I be committed to?
- What do I want out of life?
Step 2 – Connect to what’s authentically meaningful to you. After you’ve answered those questions, your next mission is to connect to and identify with the things in life that you genuinely want to represent you. Do you believe in helping others? Is it your interest to sacrifice the physical aspects of life to gain spiritual strength? Put the answers to these questions to work for you as you continue your journey.
- Contribute to a charity if you’re inclined to help others.
- Go on a fasting mission to gain endurance and clarity of mind – with help and supervision from knowledgeable experts.
Step 3 – Test your limits. When you take on new challenges, you expand your understanding of a whole new set of possibilities for you. Testing your limits could involve many things. Here are some examples:
- Take on a physical challenge that ordinarily you wouldn’t attempt due to fear of failure, disappointment, or the challenge itself.
- Make a decision based on your beliefs even though you know it may not be popular.
- Have the strength to stand by your convictions even if others reject them or attempt to dissuade you.
Becoming spiritually strong involves believing in something. It involves identifying your spiritually authentic purpose and working towards achieving that purpose. Most importantly, it involves becoming truly happy with your life.
Ultimately, the balance you seek will come when you satisfy your 
spiritually authentic needs. By taking the steps outlined here, you can put yourself on the right path to spiritual fulfillment.
Achieving spiritually authentic wellness isn’t an overnight process. With persistence and dedication, you’ll find yourself connecting with another aspect of your existence that you never realized.
More and more things will become clearer to you and you’ll start to experience true inner peace, no matter what challenges you are faced with!
