My day would involve riding my bike to get shave ice, then meeting up with friends at the park to spin on the merry-go-round. I would take off my shoes and play in the little brook that ran through the park. When it started to get dark, I would ride home to eat a home-cooked dinner made by my mom. Then, it would be off to play night games like “Ghost in the Graveyard” and “Capture the Flag.”

Covey described the spiritual dimension as “your core, your center, your commitment to your value system. It’s … a supremely important area of your life. It draws upon the sources that inspire you and uplift you and tie to the timeless truths of all humanity. And people do it very differently”. He added that for him, daily prayerful meditation on the scriptures was important because they represent his value system (I resonate with this too).

           The key for us is to embrace the concepts of continuous learning and continuous improvement. We have all experienced success in our lives, but future growth and success is contingent on avoiding complacency and being intentional to grow and develop ourselves. Rick Warren cautions, “The greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is today’s success.” I suggest a two-step process. First, embrace being a life-long learner. Second, put our learning into action. Jim Rohn encourages, “Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge. Let your learning lead to action.”

There are times when I require a bit more than the smell of the roses. I have recently started an exercise program. I have noticed many self-renewing benefits from doing so. I feel better in general. I don’t need as much caffeine to get through my day and I am sleeping much better. Bam! That’s a whole slew of benefits from one simple change. What is self-renewing to you will be different for me, it is a very personal activity.

           There are a number of other ways to feed our souls. Examples include nature, music, art, great literature, and service. I find that being actively involved with a faith community (my local church at Milwaukie GracePointe) is valuable to my spiritual development as I worship, love, serve, learn, encourage, and grow alongside others on the same pathway.