How To Strengthen Your Faith (Whatever That Means To You) In The New Year

Faith can mean a lot of different things, depending on who you ask. But regardless of which religion you follow—or whether you identify with any particular religion at all—faith, in some shape or form, has a place in all of our lives.

All too often, Miller tells mindbodygreen, our New Year's resolutions are about "me, myself, and I." But when it comes to faith, she explains, our role in the universe extends far beyond ourselves—and so we have to widen our lens.

Rather than asking your higher power for strength to reach your goals, for instance, you could ask how to be of service. It's asking, "What do you ask of me now? How am I to be?" Miller says.

"We don't need to know our next move, and we don't need to plan, but we do have the opportunity to see how we're being guided, to see how we are being instruments or messengers of God—and that is the ultimate path." In doing so, she notes, we open up a dialogue with God. (Editor's note: Miller refers to God throughout this piece, but you can replace this with whatever you like to call your higher power or connection to the universe.)

Opening ourselves up to a higher power using the steps below could make it easier to feel guided by our own connection to spirit. This can help us start taking aligned action that benefits those around us.

First things first, Miller recommends grounding in spiritual awareness. This isn't quite the same as the "grounding" we think about when we're feeling stressed or frazzled. Rather, it means cultivating the divine awareness within you that makes you feel connected to an inherently loving and guiding presence greater than yourself.

This could entail dusting off a rusty prayer that you once recited years ago, taking a walk in nature in which you open yourself to creation, meditating, or doing a spiritual mind-body practice like yoga.

Step 2, Miller says, is sustaining this seed of awareness—as in, continue to practice step 1, staying grounded in your spiritual awareness and continuing to cultivate your relationship with a higher power. Like any spiritual practice, the more you practice this, Miller says, the easier it will be to stay attuned to God's presence in your life.

As your seed of awareness begins to grow and blossom, don't be surprised when signs, dreams, and synchronicities start popping up like nobody's business. This is real information, according to Miller, who considers it to be "profoundly certain, life-giving guidance."

Faith, spirituality, and religion as a whole all serve as a means for us to feel connection to a high power, yes—but lest we forget our role in the big picture and what our faith can do for all of creation.

As Miller puts it, "You are a very important part of our collective prayer, God's symphony. Just as there's a synchronicity before you, you're a synchronicity for someone else." To that end, she explains, you never know when you could be the very sign someone else was looking for.