Soul Evolution

Have you ever been upset about something and stewed in it for days, not knowing how to get out?

Did you get a nasty email from a client or a negative word from a boss or co-worker?

Maybe it was an argument with a spouse or friend or family member.

And it just hit you so hard you spiraled into a bad place?

It can really suck to be in a place like that, especially when no one is throwing you a lifeline to help you get out of it.

Well, that’s what I’ve got for you today – your “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we are here on earth to share our gifts and to learn our lessons. Our souls are here to evolve and grow and change and expand and enlighten and express more love and bring more light to the planet.

As Divine Beings having human experiences, there are two aspects to our lives. The first is the material world that we live in that includes goals and bills and houses and groceries. I call this the Goal Line of live. The second aspect of our lives is the spiritual context of why we are here. I call this the Soul Line of life. (These terms aren’t original to me – my Spiritual Psychology teachers at the University of Santa Monica were the first to explain life to me in this way. It just makes so dang much sense to me that I’ve adopted this worldview as my own.)

Living only on the Goal Line of life is very limited and we can often be upset, victimized or stuck when we are living in this context. Adding the Soul Line to our worldview puts things in perspective and makes living more open and expansive.

When you are living on the Goal Line, outcomes determine your value and worth. As a college teacher, when I got a bad evaluation from a student I felt like I had failed and I was a bad teacher. I was living from the outside in (what happens out there determines how I feel in here).

When you add the Soul Line to your life context, you have a broader perspective on life and outcomes are unrelated to recognizing your inherent value and worth. On the Soul Line, feeling upset is an opportunity to heal yourself and move into greater expansion and freedom.

Here’s an example of Soul Line living from my life: Even though I’ve been evolving in my business (adding new services each year that I’ve been in business), not all of my clients are evolving with me. One client in particular recently declared that she only wanted to get emails from me if I was sharing about animals. She put me into a small box in her mind and didn’t want me to expand out of it.

My first reaction was to get upset and afraid: I don’t want anyone to say ‘no’ to me! I can’t lose someone’s business! My reaction of worry and fear was my red flag to work my spiritual healing process. Using Spiritual Psychology tools (which I teach in my coaching programs), I cleared the upset and the trigger from my consciousness. When I later got a second email from this client about this topic, my reaction was not one of upset or anger or fear, but the recognition that “I gotta be me!” even if it doesn’t fit other people’s view of how or what I should be doing.

Living on the Soul Line is like living from the inside out: who I know myself to be inside me determines how I interpret what happens out there.

So how does one get from a goal line to a soul line context?

The first step is to see everything that happens to you as an opportunity for your spirit to grow. As we grow on goal line, we will have personal upsets and issues arise on the soul line. My upset happens inside of me so it is my responsibility.

When I am upset, it is time to work my process: I feel my feelings, forgive any judgments against myself and others and then I feel the freedom on the other side.

Like learning to ride a bike, there are times when I cruise with the wind through my hair and times when I hit an unexpected bump and land on my face.

But for me (and so many of my clients), living my life from a spiritual context brings peace, joy, meaning and comfort.

The first step to living on the Soul Line is to shift from upset on the Goal Line to expansion on the Soul Line by simply asking yourself one question: what is my soul trying to teach me through this experience?

What is my soul trying to teach me through this experience?

(Some good follow up questions to help with that shift are: What is my opportunity here? How can I bring more love to my life and to this situation?)

So, the next time you are upset, take a moment to ask yourself that question and see if it changes the way you are looking at yourself, the other person, or the situation. And if it does, see if you feel the expansion and freedom that comes from experiencing your Soul Evolution.

That’s what I do. Now it’s your turn. In the comments below, please share your tool that helps you shift from a narrow to a broad perspective.