Spirituality Over Religion: The Journey to Finding Yourself...

As we move through life, caught in the whirlwind of responsibilities, expectations, and uncertainties, many of us eventually find ourselves asking: "What truly matters in life?"

For me, this question led to a quiet but profound realization over time: being spiritual is far more important than being religious.

Here are some brief points why I believe in that shift and why I feel it is transformative.

The Selfishness in Religious Practices

Here’s an uncomfortable truth I’ve observed, and it took me years to say this out loud: Most of us visit places of worship not to express gratitude, but to make requests.

We go to temples, mosques, or churches and say, “Please let this get better,” “Fix this problem for me,” “Forgive my sins.” But why do we do that? If we’ve made mistakes, shouldn’t we face the consequences? Learn from them? Grow from them? Why ask for forgiveness?

Religion becomes transactional at that point. A place we visit when in crisis, a bargaining chip to throw into the universe.

What if we flipped that narrative? What if we worked hard, held ourselves accountable, and only visited these places to bow our heads in gratitude? No asks. Just thanks.

There may be a higher power. But don’t outsource your life to it.

I’m not saying God doesn’t exist. I’m not saying there’s no divine energy that surrounds us. But I’m saying this: don’t use that belief as a crutch. Don’t wait for a sign. Don’t request the universe to clean up your mess or carve your path.

You are here, breathing and thinking, for a reason. You were given a mind to question, a heart to feel, and a soul to evolve. Don’t waste that by handing over your life’s remote control to a force you haven’t even tried to become yourself first.

We are our own god

This might sound bold, but I believe it deeply: we are our own god. We hold the power to create, destroy, love, hate, rise, and fall. The divine is not out there somewhere, it’s within. In our thoughts. In our choices. In the silent strength we summon when no one’s watching.

Our actions, our self-improvement initiatives are eventually going to shape our life in every possible way. 

Prepare your mind, not your plate of offerings

Let’s be real. If something is meant to happen, it will. Life doesn’t bend because you fasted for three days or visited ten temples. Bad days come, just as good ones do. That’s the nature of existence.

What truly helps in tough times isn’t prayers, it’s preparation. It’s resilience and mental strength. It’s training your mind to stay calm when the storm hits. Like they say, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” That philosophy applies to life too.

Build the version of you who can survive even if no prayers are going to work or to better put it, you don't need prayers in the first place. That is the real deal. 

Only experience can teach you how to live

No scripture or ritual can teach you what a broken heart, a failed dream, or a painful mistake can. Spirituality is born out of self-awareness. And self-awareness comes only when you learn through living, when you make mistakes, when you hurt, when you lose, and when you find your way again.

Life doesn’t hand out instruction manuals. It gives you puzzles and expects you to figure it out. The people who grow spiritually are those who embrace those puzzles, reflect on their errors, and choose to correct themselves again and again until they become better versions of who they were yesterday.

Something in your own life can be your prayer

Following your dreams, nurturing a hobby, building something from nothing, that’s one of the purest forms of prayer in my opinion. When you’re fully immersed in what you love, you’re connecting with your own soul.

It’s ironic how we often separate work and worship. But what if your work was your worship?  True spirituality flows when you’re aligned with what brings you joy and purpose.

Final Thoughts

The world doesn’t need more people who blindly follow religious customs. It needs more people who are awake, aware, and alive in their own skin. It needs people who are brave enough to question, strong enough to change, and humble enough to grow.

So don’t just go through the motions. Don’t outsource your accountability. Don’t trade action for superstition.

Reflecting often in your own actions should be our mantra of life.

And above all, remembering that our own spirit is our biggest temple. And it's our job to keep it sacred.