A wise teaching from Grand Master Choa Kok Sui reminds us: “If you master character building, it shows your soul is evolving.” (The Golden Lotus Sutras on Character Building). These simple yet profound words invite us to reflect on where we stand in our spiritual evolution. Think about it—what you once considered “normal” or acceptable may now feel completely out of alignment with who you are becoming. That shift is not random. It is the sign of your soul’s growth.
The Journey of Spiritual Evolution Through Time
We don’t expect morals or ethics from animals. Their souls are still at a very primitive stage. Similarly, early humans, largely hunter-gatherers, lived by instincts of survival, not lofty principles. Even 500 years ago, what was socially acceptable is now seen as unthinkable. This steady change marks the evolution of human consciousness, which is nothing but humanity’s collective spiritual evolution.
As the soul evolves, the yardstick of what feels acceptable keeps rising. What you tolerated from yourself before no longer resonates now. And for those walking the spiritual path, this isn’t about external judgment—it’s about the inner compass of your own soul.
If you want to deepen this awareness, you may enjoy reading Observe Your Thoughts and Emotions, which explains how mindfulness can guide spiritual growth.
Character Building: A Mirror of Soul Contact
Grand Master Choa Kok Sui also said: “Character is the manifestation of the degree of soul contact.” When you strengthen virtues like honesty, compassion, and generosity, you are in touch with your higher self. This is why character building is inseparable from spiritual evolution.
Your thoughts, words, and actions reflect the maturity of your soul. When your identification is only with the physical body, the lower chakras—focused on survival and basic desires—stay dominant. But as awareness shifts towards your higher self, your higher chakras awaken. This naturally makes it easier to practice compassion, discipline, and truth.
This connection between thoughts and actions is beautifully explained in Achieve Your Goals: How to Manage Emotions and Stay Focused, where managing emotions is seen as the key to staying aligned with your higher self.
Walking the Path of Spiritual Evolution
Spiritual evolution is not an overnight leap—it is a journey of consistent inner work. With each act of self-reflection, with every effort to practice virtue over impulse, you are raising your consciousness. The real progress is measured not by external success but by the depth of your character and the degree of your soul contact.
In the end, no one else is your judge. It is your own soul that silently shows you where you are in your spiritual evolution. For practical tools, read Observe Your Thoughts and Emotions – Part 2 to see how awareness can transform your inner journey.
That’s emotional control in action.
Self-awareness and emotions: the key to transformation
The truth is, we can’t control what we’re not aware of. In Internal Awareness for Self-Mastery: The Key to Transformation, I spoke about the power of noticing what is happening inside us.
When we pause and observe our anger, fear, or anxiety, something shifts. Awareness creates distance. Suddenly, you’re not drowning in the emotion — you’re watching it. And that awareness is the first step to inner stillness.
Emotional control leads to inner stillness
Master Choa Kok Sui’s words ring like a bell:
“If emotions and passions are not controlled, how can you have stillness?”
Stillness is not about forcing your mind to go blank. It is about softening the storms inside. By learning to control your emotions, you open the door to clarity, calmness, and peace.
So the next time your emotions rise like a tide, pause. Breathe. Notice them. Choose how to respond. In that choice lies your strength, and in that strength lies your stillness.
Reflection Question for You: What is one emotion that most often pulls you away from calmness? And what would change if you could master it?
If this reflection touched something within you, I invite you to explore more.
You may enjoy reading:
Each of these writings offers a small step toward greater self-awareness and inner stillness.
A Japanese scientist, Masaru Emoto, once placed jars of water in front of different words. To one, he whispered words of love and gratitude; to another, he spoke anger and hate. When frozen, the water exposed to kind words formed beautiful crystals, while the water exposed to harsh words became distorted. The experiment might sound simple, but it revealed something profound—the power of words goes beyond sound. They can shape energy, matter, and even us.
The Power of Words on Nature
Later, similar studies showed that words can affect plants too. When spoken to with encouragement, plants grew healthier and stronger, while those exposed to negativity wilted faster. If water and plants respond to words, imagine the impact our words have on ourselves and others. We are, after all, made of nearly 70% water. The words we choose every day—towards ourselves, our children, our coworkers—can either uplift or wound.
Kindness in Words Builds Resilience
Children especially carry the echoes of words spoken to them. A single encouraging phrase can stay with them for life, fueling their confidence. On the other hand, harsh criticism often scars deeper than we realize. This is where the power of words becomes a responsibility. Speaking kindly is not just politeness; it’s a way of shaping the emotional growth of those around us.
Talk to Yourself as You Would to Someone You Love
It’s easy to encourage others but forget ourselves. Think about your self-talk. Do you constantly judge yourself, or do you offer encouragement the way you would to a close friend? Positive affirmations—simple reminders like “I am capable,” “I am enough,”—rewire our thoughts and create inner strength. The power of words lies not only in how we speak to others but also in how we choose to speak to ourselves.
Every Word Is a Seed
Every word we say plants a seed in someone’s mind. Some grow into courage, hope, and joy. Others grow into doubt, fear, and pain. If we start consciously choosing words that heal, we begin changing the way people feel, grow, and live. Over time, this small shift creates a ripple effect of compassion, just like drops of water shaping a rock.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is for your mind to get carried away by other people’s opinions, the news, or endless scrolling? The truth is simple: your mind is programmable. If you don’t reprogram your mind, someone else is doing it for you—your colleagues, your neighbor, social media, or even the restless energy of the city you live in. The question is: who do you want writing the script of your life?
Why You Must Reprogram Your Mind
Most of us never stop to think about what we are thinking. We go through the day absorbing stories, judgments, and fears that don’t even belong to us. But what if you pressed pause? What if you asked yourself: Is this what I truly believe? Will this thought help me move forward?
The practice of learning to reprogram your mind is about taking back ownership of your inner world. In my blog Discipline as the Ultimate Act of Self-Love, I explain how even small daily choices create lasting change. The same principle applies here—discipline in thought means you don’t let just anything enter your mental space. You choose your thoughts with intention.
Seeds of Growth: Reprogram Your Mind Daily
Think of your mind like a garden. If you don’t tend to it, weeds will grow. But if you plant the right seeds—gratitude, resilience, creativity—you’ll see transformation. When you reprogram your mind, you begin attracting the kind of energy that welcomes luck, opportunities, and meaningful connections into your life.
And here’s the best part: it doesn’t take giant leaps. In Self-Growth Tips: How Consistent Daily Effort Transforms Your Life, I share how steady daily action beats short bursts of intensity. The same applies to mental reprogramming—consistency matters more than perfection. Even one conscious thought can shift your momentum for the day.
Believe, Reprogram, Achieve
Once you clear away limiting beliefs, what do you fill the space with? Dreams. Bold, beautiful dreams. In my blog Believe in Your Dreams, I talk about how our dreams aren’t random—they are guiding lights showing us what’s possible. By choosing thoughts that align with those dreams, you make them more real each day.
To reprogram your mind is to give yourself permission to grow, to evolve, and to live a life that truly feels like your own.
Riya sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the bills and reminders scattered across the floor. She had made one wrong choice after another — quitting a stable job for a risky venture, trusting the wrong people, and ignoring her instincts. Now, everything seemed to be falling apart. Her savings were dwindling, her relationships were strained, and she felt like life itself was in shambles.
Her first thought was, “I’ve ruined everything. Maybe it’s too late to fix anything.”
But after a long, heavy sigh, she realized something: the past — no matter how disastrous — was already done. No amount of regret could change it. What mattered was what she chose to do now. Would she let these wrong decisions define her, or would she pick up the pieces and begin again with clarity and focus?
That’s the real heart of how to move on — not by obsessing over the mistakes or their consequences, but by shaping the present with discipline, courage, and belief in yourself.
Why “How to Move On” Means Choosing the Present
The past has no power unless we give it power. Wrong choices, wrong outcomes, or broken dreams — none of these truly define who you are.
What defines you is:
- What you think.
- How you feel.
- What you say.
- What you do, right now.
This is the essence of how to move on: stop being trapped by yesterday and start living in today.
When we heal our soul, we realize that moving on is not about erasing pain but transforming it into strength. Healing teaches us that the scars of the past can become the soil for tomorrow’s growth.
How to Move On with Discipline and Focus
Moving on isn’t about forgetting the past. It’s about building the future, step by step. Here’s how:
- Accept Without Overthinking
Accept what happened, but don’t replay it endlessly. Acceptance closes the chapter and frees your energy for new beginnings.
2. Choose What You Want Now
Clarity is power. What do you want to do next? A goal, a dream, or a change in direction? Remember: when you believe in your dreams, they give you the fuel to keep going.
3. Build Self-Discipline
Discipline is freedom. When you keep showing up every day — no matter how you feel — you begin to regain control. This is the essence of self-discipline: doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.
4. Don’t Follow Your Mood, Follow Your Plan
Feelings change like the wind. But plans give direction. As I’ve shared before, don’t follow your mood, follow your plan. This one shift will keep you moving forward even when motivation dips.
5. Redefine Yourself by Action
You are not your past. You are not your mistakes. You are the choices you make today. Your daily thoughts, emotions, words, and actions are what truly define you.
The Power of Redefinition
Your past does not define you. Wrong decisions do not define you. Wrong outcomes do not define you.
What defines you is how you rise, how you focus, and how you keep moving forward. When you heal, discipline yourself, follow your plan, and believe in your dreams — you unlock the true secret of how to move on.
It is not about erasing what happened. It is about choosing what happens next.
Reflection: What small step of discipline or self-belief can you take today that will help you move forward with clarity and strength?
Arjun walked out of a team meeting feeling restless. His mind kept replaying a colleague’s comment, each time adding a little more irritation. For hours, he justified his anger, convinced he had been treated unfairly.
Later, in a quiet moment, he paused and asked himself: “What am I really feeling?”
The truth was uncomfortable — he wasn’t angry at his colleague, he was frustrated with himself for not communicating clearly.
That single moment of self-honesty changed everything. The irritation softened, and with a little detachment, peace slowly returned.
This simple experience reflects a timeless truth. In Beyond the Mind: The Golden Lotus Sutras on Meditation, Grand Master Choa Kok Sui reminds us:
“Awareness is necessary for spiritual evolution. To have inner Awareness, one must practise self-honesty and detachment.” — GMCKS
And he further teaches:
“Transformation requires internal awareness. Without awareness, one cannot control one’s self. One cannot achieve self-mastery and Transformation.” — GMCKS
Awareness, then, is not optional. It is the very heart of transformation. It is what shapes the mindset that carries us forward on the spiritual path.
Why Awareness Shapes a Spiritual Mindset
Awareness is like a lamp that lights up the dark corners within us. Without it, our mindset is shaped unconsciously by habits, moods, and old patterns. With it, we begin to see clearly:
- We notice thoughts that pull us down.
- We observe emotions before they control us.
- We recognize choices that either anchor us in peace or push us into restlessness.
Awareness is practical. It is the very first step to transforming who we are and creating a spiritual mindset that supports growth.
Building a Mindset for Spiritual Evolution
To evolve spiritually, mindset is key. But what does that really mean? It means training the inner eye to see with honesty and living with a lighter grip on things that bind us.
Practising Self-Honesty
- Pause and Observe: Instead of justifying, gently ask, “What am I really feeling right now?”
- Admit Without Excuse: Self-honesty is not about blame; it’s about clarity. “I felt angry, not because of them, but because my expectation was unmet.”
- Reflect with Compassion: Journaling or quiet reflection helps us see patterns with kindness, not criticism.
Self-honesty clears the fog. It shows us the truth about our inner state so we can shift our mindset toward growth.
Practising Detachment
- See Emotions as Passing Clouds: Joy, sorrow, anger — all come and go.
- Detach from Ownership of the Inner Noise: Detach from thoughts. Detach from habits. Detach from emotions. Say to yourself, “I am not these thoughts, emotions, or habits.” This simple reminder loosens their grip.
- Anchor in the Higher Self: Detachment grows when we remember we are more than body, emotions, or thoughts.
Detachment gives freedom. It strengthens our mindset so we are no longer ruled by every passing wave.
Awareness, Self-Honesty, and Detachment: The Path to Stillness
Awareness without practice is incomplete. Self-honesty reveals what binds us. Detachment loosens the knots. Together, they create a spiritual mindset that leads to inner stillness and evolution.
When the storms of life come — and they always do — awareness, self-honesty, and detachment give us the strength to stay rooted in peace. This is how transformation begins: not outside, but within.
Reflection: What small step of self-honesty or detachment can you take today to shift your mindset toward greater awareness?
Riya sat on the floor, staring at the pile of unfinished tasks and failed plans. She had so many ideas, so many ambitions… yet nothing seemed to stick. Every time she tried to go “all in,” she burned out or gave up. Life felt chaotic, and she wondered if she was just not capable.
But then she remembered something simple: even the smallest effort, done consistently, can create extraordinary results. She decided to approach her goal setting differently—smartly, steadily, and without the pressure of perfection. That’s the heart of true goal setting: turning intention into action, step by step.
Why Goal Setting is More Than Making a List
Many people treat goal setting like a magic trick: write it down and wait for it to happen. But real goal setting is about clarity, structure, and consistent effort. It’s not about one big leap; it’s about building momentum and practicing self-discipline, which, as I’ve shared before, is the ultimate act of self-love.
I particularly love the MTO format of taking consistent steps and building momentum
- Minimum: Your baseline. The bare minimum you commit to doing daily. Even on tough days, completing this is a win.
- Target: A realistic but challenging outcome. Something that stretches you without overwhelming you.
- Outrageous: Your dream goal, the “wow” result. Go for it occasionally, celebrate it, and use it to fuel motivation.
This MTO approach beats the all-or-nothing syndrome. You no longer fail if you don’t hit perfection; you still win by doing the bare minimum consistently.
How to Use Discipline and Consistency in Goal Setting
- Start Small, Build Momentum
Consistency beats intensity. A bucket of water on a rock won’t make a dent, but steady drops eventually carve a hole. Same with goal setting: small, repeated efforts create lasting results.
2. Focus on the Bare Minimum on Bad Days
Some days will be rough. Instead of giving up, focus on completing the minimum. That keeps your momentum alive and reinforces self-discipline—a true form of self-love.
3. Occasionally Reach for the Outrageous
Going for your dream outcome occasionally keeps things exciting. Reward yourself when you hit those moments—it reinforces progress and keeps motivation high.
4. Redefine Success Through Action
You are not your missed targets or past mistakes. You are the steps you take today. Each completed task, each small win, redefines your path forward. Consistent daily effort compounds over time, transforming your life in ways you may not immediately see.
The Real Secret to Achieving the Impossible
The power of goal setting lies in discipline + clarity + consistency. By committing to daily effort, honoring your minimums, and stretching toward targets and dreams, what once seemed impossible becomes achievable.
Every small step counts. Every drop of effort creates impact. And over time, those drops carve a life you once thought unattainable.
Reflection: What is one bare-minimum step you can take today toward your goal setting journey? Take it, and watch momentum grow.
5. Redefine Yourself by Action
You are not your past. You are not your mistakes. You are the choices you make today. Your daily thoughts, emotions, words, and actions are what truly define you.
The Power of Redefinition
Your past does not define you. Wrong decisions do not define you. Wrong outcomes do not define you.
What defines you is how you rise, how you focus, and how you keep moving forward. When you heal, discipline yourself, follow your plan, and believe in your dreams — you unlock the true secret of how to move on.
It is not about erasing what happened. It is about choosing what happens next.
Reflection: What small step of discipline or self-belief can you take today that will help you move forward with clarity and strength?
