Sincere devotion to your true self brings clarity and depth to your life, enabling you to move beyond surface-level distractions and cultivate lasting joy, gratitude, and purpose.
As modern people, we can fall into a lifestyle of running from one task to the next. Many people cram their responsibilities, self-improvement goals, and self-care into their limited time, often in search of that ultimate life they feel they need to have. On top of that, attention spans are getting shorter and our minds quickly flit from one bite of information to the next. We skim the surface of everything, trying to take it all in and get it all done.
But can we really feel fulfilled this way? Are we living as authentically as we wish? Wanting to take care of everything is a noble desire, but there is one thing we need to develop and maintain to hold it all together: sincere devotion. More specifically, we need devotion to our true selves and the dreams they hold.
With sincere devotion, especially to our true selves in our hearts, we dig deeper than the surface until we can see the threads that tie everyone and everything together. In the quiet deep, we leave behind scattered and harried thoughts made worse by anxiety and stress. We touch the most authentic part of ourselves, and that spills out into the rest of our lives.
Instead of being stuck on the surface, going nowhere, we can devote ourselves to whatever makes us truly joyful. When we do, we gain a broader perspective on everything else in our lives. Even more than skills or talent, sincerity moves the needle forward. It enables us to approach any goal step by step. One day at a time, one action at a time, earnest devotion moves our hearts and souls. By doing so, it changes our destinies, our communities, and the world.
What Does Sincere Devotion Mean?
Sincere devotion to our true selves means considering that part of ourselves first as we go about our lives. It means loving and cherishing that part of ourselves, deeming it the most precious. When we make plans, talk to people, or even spend our leisure time, we do it from the perspective of what our true selves want.
Learn more about the wishes of our true selves ➤
In order to keep this sincerity in every aspect of our lives, it’s helpful to have a daily practice that keeps our minds open to our true selves. It’s a time when we turn our attention, and all our inner senses, inside ourselves and do that inner digging.
This daily devotion strengthens our commitment and access to our true selves. We form a habit—our brains form neural pathways.
People who have a habit of sincere devotion always feel gratitude, happiness, and hope regardless of their external circumstances. Sincere devotion leads to a clear, focused, and humble mind. Once we take on a sincere and devoted mind, every person and thing we face is God or Buddha, and there is not a single object we encounter that is not our true selves.
Without this habit, however, we are in danger of falling into victim consciousness, selfishness, arrogance, and unhappiness. We may become more judgmental and resentful. Instead of loving unconditionally, we draw distinctions between “you and me” and build relationships based on limited understanding.
How to Practice Sincere Devotion
One of the best practices for making a habit of sincerity is full-body bowing meditation. The following video demonstrates how to do this practice.
In this type of moving meditation, we use our whole bodies to communicate with our minds and open our hearts. By grounding and circulating our energy and blood, focusing our minds, loosening our muscles and joints, and regulating our breathing, bowing opens us to our true selves. With each bow we make, we recommit our thoughts, words, and actions to our true selves. We tie the different parts of our lives together and make them meaningful.
I recommend picking a certain number of bows to do every day, depending on your current level of ability. Numbers that have some meaning in bowing meditation include 9, 21, 49, 81, and 100. Although daily practice is best, starting with a set number of days, such as 21 or 100, can help you develop the habit and give you trust and confidence in yourself.
As you do each bow, remember the importance of turning your attention inside. Watch the changes in how your body feels, the thoughts that pass by, and the emotions that get churned up. Be patient with yourself if your focus wavers or your movements are clumsy or difficult. Part of looking inside and loving your true self is accepting everything and embracing the process. Bowing represents the cycle of life—its ups and downs and all the changes that come with it. Whenever you falter, you just need to begin again.
Bowing is also called “sincerity training” since it is impossible to do properly without sincerity. When we show devotion through bowing, our bodies and minds will change, and our true selves will expand and act as a guiding light in our goals, our work, and our relationships. With devotion to our true selves, the cycles of our lives will stay fulfilling and authentic.
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