How to Get in-SPIRE’d
The SPIRE model is an amazing tool created by the Wholebeing Institute. SPIRE stands for Spiritual, Physical Intellectual, Relational and Emotional, and is a way to check in on where you are and where you want to be. SPIRE takes the whole person into consideration, helping you identify areas of your life that you may want to improve or give attention to in order to increase happiness and wellbeing.
The thing is, as we improve just one area of our life, all the other areas get a boost as well. “Through coming to know yourself better, and being in a like-minded, supportive community, you can tap into SPIRE wholebeing as a way to expand—to reach toward stretch goals and to realize aspirations for what you can accomplish and who you can become.”1
Spiritual: Consider what it is that gives you a sense of purpose. What are the values that drive your day to day actions?
Physical: Recognize the connection between body and mind. What can you do to honor your physical body?
Intellectual: Reflect on ways you can challenge yourself through learning, growing or creativity.
Relational: Think about how you can foster relationships with others, as well as your relationship with yourself.
Emotional: Cultivate positive emotions and develop resilience to help you cope during difficult times.
Addressing growth in these five areas improves wellbeing by taking the whole person into account. This might look different for everyone. For me, getting out in nature is a key practice in getting to the heart of SPIRE wholebeing. Even just a few minutes of focusing attention on my breath improves my spiritual wellbeing. The act of simply walking puts me in touch with my physical wellbeing. I allow my curiosity to run wild as I look at a leaf, turning it over, examining it. Taking a detailed look at things around me stimulates my intellectual wellbeing. And my relational and emotional wellbeing are both touched on as I center myself, listen to and validate my own thoughts and feelings, and allow myself to be present and take in the beauty around me.
Giving ourselves this space, and the grace of presence, opens all our senses. And as we allow those feelings to come up, we begin to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. A short walk in nature, or just about any small break in your day, can refresh you and allow you to be more productive.
Use this worksheet to assess where you are in each area of SPIRE wholebeing. This will help you identify where you might be able to make improvements in order to increase your overall happiness and wellbeing. If you’d like to delve deeper and learn how to make lasting change in your life, click here and I’ll help you get started!