SPIRE to Inspire

• The word “spire” is within the word “respire,” meaning to breathe—the act that keeps you alive. The SPIRE perspective encourages you to know yourself—to understand and value that which is uniquely and wonderfully you.

• The word “spire” has another meaning: the highest point or summit of something, like the spire of a church or the spire of a mountain.

• Given by Tal Ben Shahar & Megan McDonough-Cofounders Whole Being Institute

• It’s a philosophy of living that teaches that, in order to be happy, healthy people, we must attend to each of these five equally important aspects of our life: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational, and Emotional

1. S – Spiritual: Leading a meaningful life and mindfully savouring the present.

2. P – Physical: Caring for the body and tapping into the mind/body connection.

3. I – Intellectual: Engaging in deep learning and opening to new experiences.

4. R – Relational: Nurturing a constructive relationship with self and others.

5. E – Emotional: Feeling all emotions, reaching towards resilience and optimism.

SPIRE in Action

To help bring this to life, here’s an example of one way to use SPIRE to check in. Using a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high, answer the following question: In thinking about the last several days, how is your SPIRE?

Sample SPIRE check-in:

Spiritual: 4 – I’ve carved out time for my morning practice each of the last 4 days, and enjoyed time in nature.

Physical: 2 – It’s been raining and I’ve cut my daily walks short, or haven’t gone out for a walk at all.

Intellectual: 4 – My course readings have been interesting, and I’m excited about what I’m learning.

Relational: 3/4 – I’ve enjoyed time with a few close friends recently. I’ve connected with friends and family in the past few days over video apps and the phone.

Emotional: 2/3 – I’m feeling concerned about a friend who is struggling, and am feeling a bit down about it but haven’t made a lot of space to really dig into that.

The Reflection

Now, how can you reflect on your SPIRE worksheet summary scores? The following questions will help guide you:

1. In which element(s) are you feeling strong and engaged?

2. Which element(s) could use more attention?

3. What is one action you can take to strengthen the element(s) in need of attention

Please note: The goal isn’t to achieve a top score in all elements. The goal is to identify the elements that are in need of a boost and implement actions that will result in a boost to your well-being.

Lemme know your thoughts , happy learning :)