Some people today will claim to have “visions” or hear “voices from God.” Although I don’t doubt their experience, I’m careful of seeing them as “mystics.” Looking at the stories of mystics from the past, it’s a tough journey. Mystics aren’t rich, and they certainly don’t hold workshops on how to have visions. True mystics have become immersed in God. Their path is one of service, and you know them by their humility. There are too many false prophets out there.

A lot of talk about “purpose” confuses work and service. Many times work is what we do for some reward, whether it’s money or status. Service is our giving back without needing credit.

Think about some of the words we choose to make inferences about the world: all, no one, everyone, many. These words lack specificity, and our inferences might be hyperbolic. They also might not be true. Our minds easily ruminate on these thoughts, which can affect how we live our lives.

Mental, physical and emotional balance is critical in avoiding burnout or overwhelm. There might be times when emphasizing one is appropriate, but then we must take measures to restore balance. Look at your own life to see where you could reduce your energy or shift it towards other components.

We are easily swept away by messages of collecting, of gain, of winning. Spiritual traditions teach us messages of shedding, of surrender, of communion. There is only one true identity we need to seek—the identity in God.

Many self-help books or workshops will label the ego (or the false self) as bad. They advise for us to rid ourselves of it. The ego simply has been misaligned from our experiences. Rather than fight against ourselves, we can transform the ego so that it serves our essential (or authentic) self.

Fire, just like water, is powerful. It gives light and destroys if we use it mindfully. Most of all, it has the power to transform, burning away the temporal and softening us to be molded into something new.

We cling to moments of joy and avert moments of pain. This is natural. However, we can bring about suffering if we believe that things aren’t changing. We fear losing what we love or we panic thinking this moment of pain will endure. With each passing moment, there is birth, life, death, and regeneration.

How often do we bypass or overlook the present moment because we’re yearning for the past or anxious about the future? These cognitions weigh the present moment, and hinder our ability to see new seeds that might be planted. Rather than spending our lives constantly whipping our heads between the unchangeable past and unpredictable future, we can remain aware and unbiased with what we’re experiencing right now.

Some will say meditation isn’t supposed to have a goal, but we all have an intention behind everything that we do. Some spiritual practices—like prayer—might appear to be sacred, but if our intention is to merely complete them to check off a list, they’ve lost their sacredness. We can’t get too attached to our spiritual practices because sometimes they become routine. It is then that we move to other practices, remembering that our intention should be deepening or transformative.