In the last two blogs, we got acquainted with the S and the P in SPIRE, opening the door to today’s topic: the I in SPIRE stands for Intellectual.
To best understand the I in SPIRE and how it affects all of the different areas within our lives, we first need to understand the wholebeing approach and how it ties into the concept of SPIRE. Whether you’ve already read about the Spiritual and Physical aspects of SPIRE, or you’re just diving in now with Intellectual, let’s review the wholebeing approach together!
What is the Wholebeing Approach?
The Wholebeing Approach that I teach focuses on the five macro levels of your life: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational, and Emotional, or SPIRE. As explained by the Whole Being Institute, SPIRE is:
Spiritual – Leading a meaningful life and mindfully savoring the present.
Physical – Caring for the body and tapping into the mind/body connection.
Intellectual – Engaging in deep learning and opening to experience.
Relational – Nurturing a constructive relationship with self and others.
Emotional- Feeling all emotions, reaching towards resilience and positivity.
This approach encourages you to look at each level of your life and to get to know your whole being. In doing so, you gain clarity to make a change and the tools to act on what you have learned to accomplish your biggest dreams.
Today we will focus on the I in SPIRE to learn how engaging in deeper learning and opening ourselves up to new and exciting experiences can positively impact our wholebeing and overall wellness.
What is the I in SPIRE?
The I in SPIRE stands for Intellectual and refers to our overall intellectual well-being. This area of wholebeing is founded on our curiosity about the world, willingness to experience new things, and interest in deeper learning. The goal for maintaining our intellectual well-being is to be consistently mentally stimulated, helping us continuously learn how to better the other four areas of SPIRE within our wholebeing.
Pursuing your desire to learn will help sharpen and expand your brain’s capabilities while simultaneously feeding your mind’s curiosity. So, what subjects make you curious? What new experiences have you always wanted to try? You are taking the first step in practicing intellectual well-being by asking yourself these questions and taking the time to reflect and thoughtfully answer them.
The Intellectual Impact of SPIRE
When we are always learning, we are also continually growing. This personal growth expands beyond our intellect, as the knowledge we acquire can be applied to the other four SPIRE components. Our curiosity challenges us to be better and improve ourselves, which can lead to positive changes in our overall well-being. So, taking the time to learn something we’re passionate about will play directly into our spiritual and emotional well-being and also has the potential to nourish our physical and relational well-being.
Personal Life
We can enrich our lives by finding new ways to stimulate our brains. Each person will find different methods that work for them. Despite no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, word puzzles, reading books, listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, and learning/trying something new are great ways to get started. We can always find new ways to make life more interesting and satisfying; we just have to be willing to learn and master new concepts.
Start thinking about what you want to learn and the areas of your life you’d like to develop, and then take the actionable steps to start learning and applying them to your life.
Professional Life
Incorporating intellectually stimulating activities into our daily lives while still setting aside enough time for proper rest and professional growth is essential to success. The more we learn about our industry and develop our work-related skills and expertise, the more interesting our work becomes and the more likely we are to find satisfaction at the workplace.
This also allows us to stretch our brains and challenge ourselves in a professional setting, bettering our skills, knowledge, and habits – many of which translate well into our personal lives. Fostering the intellectual aspect of SPIRE leads to a sense of pride, accomplishment, and a positive sense of well-being.
Employers can promote the intellectual aspect of SPIRE in their workforce by asking growth-oriented questions and implementing the answers to these questions. An employer may consider asking: how can you help your employees expand their intellectual activity, and what training or development is needed to help them thrive and support your organization?
How to Apply SPIRE’s Intellectual Component
In this digital age, learning a new skill or picking up a new hobby has never been easier! We can now look to YouTube for simple tutorials on things that interest us, create accounts on learning platforms to learn from professionals, and even enroll in free courses provided by post-secondary institutions. With all of this accessible, there’s no reason not to start pursuing skills and interests that will enhance our everyday lives and expand our knowledge base.
Personal Life
We can enrich our lives by finding new ways to stimulate our brains. Each person will find different methods that work for them. Despite no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, word puzzles, reading books, listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, and learning/trying something new are great ways to get started. We can always find new ways to make life more interesting and satisfying; we just have to be willing to learn and master new concepts.
Start thinking about what you want to learn and the areas of your life you’d like to develop, and then take the actionable steps to start learning and applying them to your life.
Professional Life
The same goes for your professional life. The more you can learn at work, the better you will become in your role. By pursuing extra certifications and industry designations and possessing an overall positive attitude toward growing your expertise, you will become more effective in your position and develop the tools to manage all areas of your wholebeing better.
Improving your intellectual well-being in a professional capacity will also positively affect your overall well-being. By feeding your curiosity and your mind’s desire to learn new things, you are sharpening your mind, promoting creativity, and focusing on the positive things.
If you’d like additional guidance on implementing this aspect of SPIRE, feel free to reach out using my contact form.
How to Get Started Using SPIRE
Start your journey to self-discovery using the following SPIRE check-in!
Using a scale of 1 to 5, with one being low and five being high, answer the following question:
In thinking about the last couple of days, how is your SPIRE?
Spiritual: (1-5) – Have you been present in your life? What purpose did you set for the day? Do you feel in control of your life?
Physical: (1-5) – Did you appreciate all your body has done for you today? Have you made a point to do the things that make your body happy and healthy?
Intellectual: (1-5) – Have you learned something new today? Have you read any new materials? Have you felt mentally engaged?
Relational: (1-5) – Have you spent time with your friends? Have you met any new people? Have you taken the time to appreciate those around you?
Emotional: (1-5) – Have you checked in on the people in your life? Have you had your needs met? Have you been able to talk about both your positive and negative feelings?
Need help figuring out ways to improve your SPIRE? The Whole Being Institute has created a short list of examples for each letter of SPIRE, and they have a weekly check-in for those short on time. After completing the check-in, identify which areas require could use some improvement and how you want to go about working on them.
Exploring SPIRE in this way helps us uncover what aspects of ourselves could be affecting our well-being. Remember, when one or more are scored low, it can make us feel stressed, anxious, and irritable. This exercise is an excellent tool that helps us identify which parts of ourselves need additional nurturing to help us find balance and get back to feeling healthy and whole. If you’d like to work through a SPIRE check-in together or learn more about how the wholebeing approach and intellectual well-being can make a difference in your life, get in touch with me now.