 When I talk to people about the spiritual practice of tithing, most people think about tithing 10% of their money. But did you know that you can also tithe your time?
If you're unfamiliar with the idea of tithing your money, here's how master prosperity teacher Edwene Gaines defines it: "To tithe is to return 10% of all we receive to a person, place, or institution from which we have received spiritual food. Spiritual food is that which inspires us of the truth, and causes us to remember who we really are.... The real purpose of the tithe is to acknowledge that God is the source of our good and that we are aware and grateful for the good in our lives." Tithing your money is a spiritual practice because it goes against the idea of lack or the feeling that there's not enough. Tithing reminds you that the Law of Circulation is always at work in the Universe. When you tithe, you get to participate consciously and actively in the flow of giving and receiving. Time is another area of life where some people feel like there's not enough. Do you ever hear this from others: "I don't have time." "I'm soooo busy." "There's not enough time in the world." If you'd like to experience more time freedom and to actively be in the driver's seat of your own calendar, I encourage you to try this spiritual practice of tithing your time. What does tithing your time look like? If you take the average work week in the U.S. as 40 hours, ten percent of that is 4 hours. To tithe your time, then, is to give 4 hours every week in service to others. Here are some examples of what tithing your time can look like:
Here's something that I did last week: I was sitting in Starbucks reading a book when a person at a table in the far end of the store spilled the drink he had just purchased. I could tell from his facial expressions that he was in distress. There were a number of people nearby him but no one got up to help. That's when I got up, walked over to the cashier and asked for them to get a mop and towels. I told the person in distress that they were going to help, and relief immediately washed over his face. This took a total of 10 minutes. Tithing your time helps you to open your awareness to the many opportunities for you to give of yourself. This can become a fun exercise where you start out your day, asking yourself: "I wonder where I'll get to give today." So here's your coaching assignment for this week: Experiment with the spiritual practice of tithing your time, and make a conscious choice to give four hours of your time in service to others. As you tithe your time, may you affirm your own understanding that there is more than enough time. The gift of your time is a blessing to others. p.s. If you'd like to receive the gift of my time and my service, I offer a complimentary 45-minute Clarity Session to help you get clear on what might be behind your feeling stuck in a particular area of your life. If you want to take me up on this offer, click here to find out more and schedule a time. I'd love to hear what activities you plan to do to tithe your time and what ways you show up in service this week. Feel free to share by commenting below.  This past weekend, Richard and I headed to Laguna Beach to enjoy the gorgeous weather. It's not yet spring, but summer was definitely the feeling this past weekend with 90+ degree weather. The picture here is the sunset we and so many others on the beach watched with delight. What a blessing!
As you think about your last few days, what blessings did you encounter? I ask this question because sometimes it's easy to forget that everywhere around you are blessings waiting to be recognized. Take a moment right now. Look around you. Feel inside you. What is a blessing you can acknowledge right now? Even something as simple as your ability to breathe is a blessing. Right now I have a few people going through a pilot program I'm running called "Re-Write Your Money Story." If someone is experiencing stress from their financial situation, it's more than likely there's a not-very-helpful money story operating in their life. A money story is a story you carry based on certain thoughts, beliefs and emotions that affect your relationship with money. One money story that's not very helpful is the idea that "you have to work hard or struggle for your money." But stress isn't limited to money. You might be experiencing some forms of stress in other areas of life, like relationships, health, or your work. If you're wanting to ease the stress, here's something to try. One of the homework exercises that I've given participants of my pilot program is what I call the "Evidence of Good" assignment. Here's what it is: before the day ends, you write down 3 specific things that you experienced in your day that gives you "evidence" that good is showing up in your life. Acknowledging your good is a form of gratitude. Focusing on the "Evidence of Good" is a helpful antidote to toxic stories because you get to take your mind off what you feel "isn't working" and you get to breathe more easily into what "is working." I love this quote that 50 Cent shared with Oprah: "Either pray or worry. Don't do both." If you think about what this quote is saying, it's telling you that ultimately, you get to choose where to focus your attention. Do you want to pray and expect good to show up in your life, or do you want to worry and expect the worst? Personally, I'd choose to focus on the good. Are you willing to take on the "Evidence of Good" for this week's coaching assignment? If so, here are your tasks:
The act of being able to name your good and give thanks for your blessings is a simple yet powerful spiritual practice. If you want bonus points, let someone special in your life know that they are a blessing in your life and tell them why. This is a good way to pay the blessings forward and to share your gratitude with others. Thank you for being the divine blessing that you are. I'd love to hear what are some examples of "Evidence of Good" in your life. Feel free to share by commenting below. And if you have an interest in hearing more about the "Re-Write Your Money Story" program, simply send me an email and let me know. I'd be happy to tell you more about it.  When I first meet with clients, I ask them to tell me what their current spiritual practices are. The most common responses I hear are meditation, prayer, and journaling. The people who've been on the spiritual path a little longer will add things like walking in nature, studying spiritual books and tithing. The more self-identified advanced spiritual students will say that everything they do is a spiritual practice, including washing the dishes and doing the laundry, because they use everything as a meditative practice.
What I don't hear as often is the idea of community as a spiritual practice. Spirituality is often perceived as an individual endeavor: How can I better my life? How can I cultivate my personal relationship with God? How can I grow spiritually? When you ask questions from the "I" perspective, you usually come up with "I" solutions. But what if you change the "I" to "we"? How can we better our lives? How can we cultivate our relationship with God? How can we grow spiritually? By looking at spirituality from a lens of our interconnectedness, we open to greater possibilities for our spiritual unfoldment. Behind the idea of community as a spiritual practice is the intention that being in community with others creates an opening to a greater awareness of how Spirit shows up in our lives. When you look for the Divine in community, you see It in the people around you. When someone gives you a hug, you feel the Divine hugging you. When someone gives you a kind word, you hear the voice of the Divine. And guess what? If you see the Divine in other people, that means that the Divine lives, breathes and moves in and as you! Imagine going to a party where the room is filled with all the great spiritual teachers you admire. How would you greet them? What do you think the mood of the party would be? Would there be lots of joy and laughter? Do you think these teachers would be snooty, or do you think they would be curious and authentic? Now imagine that you are at this party and everyone sees you as a great spiritual teacher that everyone sees with great love and respect. This is how the Universe sees you! Embracing community as a spiritual practice invites you to be in relationship with others, and to see each person underneath all the masks and the exteriors. It means being willing to show up as the truth of who you are. It calls for you to choose connection over isolation. In the spirit of embracing community as a spiritual practice, here is your coaching assignment for the week:
I'd love to hear what ways you are choosing connection and embracing community. Feel free to share by commenting below. Ultimately, embracing community as a spiritual practice is an act of divine service and love. You serve and love because your intention in community is the well-being of all. May you find connection and love in community, as community finds connection and love in you. p.s. If this topic brings up any issues for you where you'd benefit from support, contact me directly. I offer a complimentary consultation as a gift to you. Click here for more info and to schedule. |
About JoselitoJoselito is a spiritual life coach helping people create a purposeful, spiritual path to career and financial freedom. Popular Blog Articles Beware (Be Aware of) these 5 Unhelpful Money Stories How my body told me to quit my job How I was offered an all-expenses paid cruise after making my Vision Board Today I choose to live my GREATNESS You are not your stories. You are the story-teller. Your job is not your Source. Archives
October 2018
|
RSS Feed