Think Clearly, Feel Deeply, Act Decisively: The 3 Pillars Of Spiritual Growth

Very often I am asked, “What are the qualities necessary for spiritual progress?” Some of the answers are based on New Age, airy-fairy ideas of only compassion or Viveka and Vairagya, the ability to discriminate between what is temporal and what is timeless and dispassion.

However, from a modern perspective, I believe spiritual growth requires three fundamental abilities: thinking clearly, feeling deeply, and acting decisively.

Clear Thinking

While intuition and gut feelings have their place, clear thinking is essential for spiritual development. This means examining core issues without getting lost in overthinking, worry, or anxiety. It's about penetrating the heart of what's being dealt with and maintaining clarity without mental clutter.

Feeling Deeply

The other quality is to feel deeply. Very often, in the name of detachment, people do not get in touch with their feelings. One can feel deeply without being emotionally reactive or emotionally hung up on issues.

To feel deeply about things is a necessary quality. If one thinks clearly, one can also feel deeply without getting muddled up with all the emotions. This depth of feeling is not a weakness but a necessary quality for genuine spiritual growth.

Acting Decisively

The third quality is to act decisively.

Some of us are very indecisive in the name of being open and flexible, etc. We cannot take a decision. It is better to take a decision that ‘I am postponing this action because I do not have all the facts in hand.’ We must recognise that no action is perfect; all actions are limited in nature.

Therefore, what does the situation demand? To be able to understand the situation clearly, feel deeply about things and about the issues involved, and act decisively without delay, dilly-dallying, or postponing the decision. Postponing decisions unnecessarily is not healthy for spiritual living. Neither is being impulsive and reactive healthy.

So, these three qualities together would make a good spiritual student and also increase the chance of success in any undertaking. Therefore, I urge spiritual students to be able to think clearly, feel deeply and act decisively.

The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at aarshavidyaf@gmail.com

Published on: Friday, October 31, 2025, 12:31 AM IST