Those things that hurt, instruct – Benjamin Franklin. Life is hard; it is challenging; it is a series of problems. The question is whether we want to moan and complain about them or solve them? And in that same light, do we want to teach and empower our children to solve them? That is where spirituality comes in. So what is spirituality? Spirituality is choosing the path of life to grow and evolve into our best selves continuously by facing life’s challenges mindfully and with discipline. It goes beyond what current science and logic understand to find our unique answers, healing, and a fulfilled life with purpose, meaning, and contentment. It allows us to seek out and continuously reevaluate our “Why?” Through this growth and healing, we can connect to life and others in ways that bring depth, meaning, and a greater purpose than ourselves. Through this path, we can find unconditional love for ourselves. I believe it helps first to realize and accept how unnatural this is to us. As an animal, survival is based on being efficient with how we expend energy. So it is natural for us to want to be lazy, do everything we can to avoid the pain of responsibility. In fact, people will often make decisions to seek answers and decisions made by another to escape freedom of choice. This self-subjugation allows us to avoid facing and accepting responsibility for the problems. We can only solve life’s problems by first accepting responsibility for them, and then doing the work to solve them. There is immense freedom in understanding and accepting that one’s adult life is a series of personal choices and decisions. For many, that can be terrifying. Only through embracing this reality, we take the first step of spirituality and can embrace true freedom. So the path of spiritual growth is the path to do the unnatural, find the self-discipline to delay gratification, accept responsibility for our lives and choices, dedicate ourselves to the truth, and find and maintain a balance throughout the process. To do this, we must find a deep strength and resolve to bring forth the courage to go against our nature. It takes a lot of work and sacrifice, but we can carve out our path through this growth and write our own Legend. If you are ready, then this is the path to becoming a Legendary Phoenix.