Old Soul, Young Soul

In Hinduism, one of the core beliefs is reincarnation. Simply put, this means that we are souls inhabiting a physical body. When the body ceases to function (dies), the soul continues to exist on subtle planes until it is time to reincarnate.

I have few answers to questions about reincarnation and have never felt the need to dive deeply into it. For me, a fundamental understanding of it is enough to shed light on understanding where I am on my journey today, how I got here, and where I need to get to.

A common misunderstanding is that souls always evolve through the process of reincarnation. This isn’t necessarily true—souls can regress as well. It all depends on how we act and react to life’s circumstances.

Some souls are older, and some are younger. Older does not always equate to wiser—for I have met many old fools in my life. More mature souls are those that have been around longer, taken the opportunity to learn from their experiences, applied those learnings in life, and created lasting change. More mature souls always seek growth.

How do we identify a more mature soul? One simple way is by how they act and react to life’s experiences. Mature souls strive to respond in ways that create better, more uplifting outcomes—not only for themselves but for everyone around them. They are less judgmental of others, understanding that we are all evolving and each of us is at a different milestone on the path, and therefore respond to life’s experiences in different ways. Less mature souls will make less mature decisions. Remember my email, Dogs Bark, Cats Meow? With this in mind, mature souls strive to understand first. This is always the first step. From the light of understanding is born empathy, then compassion, and finally love.

Another telltale sign of mature souls is their responsiveness. They do what needs to be done without being told it needs to be done. For example, if you’re in the office break room at work and notice a dirty coffee mug or a wet countertop, you clean it. A father shared with me recently that his six-year-old daughter opened a kitchen drawer, saw it was a mess, and proceeded to organize it. That’s responsiveness.

Let me emphasize this again: physical age has nothing to do with the maturity of a soul. In Asia, where I grew up, there’s a common belief that if you’re older, you’re wiser. This is an erroneous perspective. A soul’s maturity is not determined by physical age in this life. Your parents don’t always know what is best for you, and your grandparents are not necessarily the wise old ones.

More mature souls require more effort and guidance than less mature souls. They often need more attention. This may seem counterintuitive to many and is often why some parents give less attention to children who may be more mature souls. At the end of the day, most parents simply lack the understanding or the ability to recognize a more mature soul.

Look at it this way: if I wanted to play football (soccer) with my friends on the weekend, I wouldn’t need to practice much—or at all. But if I wanted to play at the highest professional level, I would need extensive training and guidance from a technical coach, strength and conditioning coach, nutritionist, physiotherapist, and more.

Mature souls need to be identified and guided. Helping them gain clarity of their purpose in this life is paramount and the first essential step. This clarity sets a focal point for the intensity of life force they have cultivated over many lives and brought into this one. Without it, their energy could easily be led astray by their environment and channeled toward the development of lower states of mind. It’s important to understand that the same force capable of creating monumental positive changes in the world can also create destructive changes if not harnessed and channeled. We see evidence of this everywhere—in those who build and in those who harm, all shaped by how their energy is guided.

As you step into the new year, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Am I clear on my purpose in life? Can I articulate it clearly?
2. Can my purpose define my priorities in life? If yes, what are they?
3. Do I have the ability to focus so I can act on my priorities? If not, will I choose to learn to focus?
4. Who and what will I give up in simplifying my life so I can focus my finite energy and time on my priorities in life?

Write down your answers clearly, and then, as my guru often said, “Proceed with confidence!”