ani
Yes they are sins when viewed independently and the path to spiritual enlightenment would require that we shed ourselves of all sins and embody the polar opposite of the sin.
So what are they? Traditionally, they are:
Vanity (Pride), Greed (Selfishness), Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Sloth (Laziness), Wrath (Anger)
In my opinion 2 of these sins are actually great to have as long as they are in moderation and directed to the betterment of our lives. Like Greed & Vanity – both will drive you towards being the best that you can be. The key word though is moderation.
Greed – Many cultures and religions have taught us that it is selfish or greedy to have desires. We have been conditioned to think that wanting too much for ourselves is wrong. The paradox is that without desire, we cannot be successful. When we are striving for desires that will give us what we want and enrich the lives of the people around us directly or indirectly, the Universe works with us to manifest it.
As there are varying degrees of selfishness and greed not all are bad or evil. In some ways being selfish is taking responsibility for your ‘self’ and your life. Taking ownership of yourself and creating the life you desire is ultimately more satisfying than seeing yourself as a victim to circumstance and powerlessly blaming others for the state of your life which would be another sin – sloth.
As a life coach, when working towards a client’s goals, often their resistance to action is caused by a personal obstacle, which boils down to a deadly sin. When it is holding you back from getting the results you want in your life, then you have to find ways to manage these sins. Often they are just bad automatic habits. Once you are aware of what you really want, then you can identify the sin and manage it in order to get closer to your desires.
Vanity x Humility – this one is true to me, mine is Vanity. I am actually a glutton, being obese when I was growing up, then luckily for me Vanity stepped in and I managed to shed the kilos and now keep them off despite my absolute love for food and wine. I realized that if it weren’t for my “Vanity” I would be a gluttonous sloth! I don’t eat out of hunger, I could eat all day if I were not Vain.
Vanity and Pride can also be viewed as “self-love” without which we can’t love another. Taking pride in ourselves and having some vanity is empowering.
Conquer Greed by being more generous and giving of our possessions and ideas.
Envy – by being appreciative of what others have rather than angry or jealous that they have it. In fact the Law of Attraction states that if you are envious of what others have, by placing that negative emotion on that person or thing, you will block it’s path towards you. So the more you appreciate what others have and less envious you are, you will attract more abundance into your own life! Some people go around annoyed when others even have what they have, “How can he afford a Benz?”. “When did she start buying Laboutins?” This is only re-enforcing your own “lack” mentality which is the direct oppostite of an “abundance mentality”. In order to attract more of what you want into your life, you have to trust that there is plenty of the good stuff out there for all of us, and some. And truly appreciating it when others have what you don’t have, will bring you closer to having some yourself.
Wrath/Anger – well all this does is gets you to react in a way that is not aligned with what you want to create in your life and relationships. Kindness and patience would be the attributes to practice. This one is a big bad sin and can really cause many obstacles in your achieving the life of your dreams. Anger is usually a way for many of us to express the underlying sadness or pain. Our needs are not being met and so we get angry. Take the time to get to the bottom of it and learn to communicate out of vulnerability and love. With your anger you can destroy a lot of work and damage many relationships not to mention hurt people that you care about or want to work with. The coaching tool used here is called “Respond vs. react”. Between the event that causes the automatic “anger”, wait and breathe, in that space create the opportunity to choose a response that will bring you loser to what you really want to achieve, then carefully choose a response. Responses are chosen, reactions are automatic and can sometimes be detrimental! Vanity and Greed can save you from this one.
Greed or desire to have good things in life, and vanity and pride to look good will save you from burning bridges and getting violent.
Lust & Gluttony would be best managed with self-control and being discerning. Think of the long-term pleasure you seeking rather than the “quick fix” same for Gluttony. What do you really want, like really really want, often Lust and Gluttony are just a way for “instant gratification” when what you truly desire is something else bigger and more satisfying. When youa say you are looking to attract and build a lasting and satisfying relationship, indulging in mindless sex could be what is keeping love elusive to you. As they say, “Those who indulge, bulge” In my case, my Vanity, “to look my best” is what keeps me from indulging too much in the finer things in life like cheese!
Sloth – This is laziness, to me this is the worst sin, because it keeps you from contributing to yourself, and to the world and it is the mindset that someone else is there to pickup after me or to carry my weight. Fight this one with enthusiasm and energy. I find the more energy I use, the more I have.
What’s your sin?
Malti Bhojwani
Life Coach & Founder
Multi Coaching International
