We lead very compartmentalized lives. Each of those portions of our lives need protection and nurturing. We are our own best stewards. I've had to give these things considerable and painful consideration.
We have to watch where our bodies wander, what we put into them, and most importantly what we do with them. All of this resides with the agency we provide ourselves, and centered squarely in the mind.
The mind, being the central force which guides us through life, has to interpret everything temporal going on around us. Like the body, we must guard what we put into our mind while keeping it open to possibility. Even our unconscious mind, the place where we dream, is subject to our whims as much as we are subject to the images it provides us. Ultimately, our agency must reign supreme.
We cannot control what comes to our bodies and or our minds, but we can decide how we react to those forces. What we think and feel is so much less important than what we do about those things. A word isn't defined by the individual letters residing within it, they only provide a means of interpreting or pronouncing that word. The meaning of a word is granted by people who do something with it.
The sum of our spirituality must be guarded most of all.
I don't (often) talk about my faith, and I don't include it or any part of it in my professional or personal dealings. The reason is simple. The scriptures that form the basis of my faith command me to not "trifle with holy things" or "or cast pearls before swine". Often in my works as a professional, especially a freelancer or independent, with secular projects... I'm tempted to include elements of my faith. As a Christian, I know that doing so violates the spirit of the Second Commandment. I'm always careful to hold what I do in the light of temporal objectivity, and keep the sacred things in my life sacred and separate from my secular affairs.
Most of the people I work with, know I'm a Latter Day Saint, but have no fear that I'll involve my faith in our dealings or professional exchanges. Keeping my spirituality compartmentalized forces me to think harder about my beliefs and grants me the opportunity to keep my relationship with God both sacred and deeply personal.
Because I've kept the parts of my life compartmentalized, I'm granted the freedom to use my spirituality as a bridge between my mind and body, without interfering with my personal or temporal affairs. Consequently, I'm appreciated for what I do, not what I believe in, and my colleagues are granted the comfort to work in tandem with me without being fettered by my personal beliefs.
This is the choice I've made. For me. No one else.
All things are spiritual.
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