Cultivating Happiness Through SPIRE

Feb 1

How Can We Cultivate More Happiness In Our Lives?

Before I answer that question, it's important to note the role that happiness plays in our lives. (Hint: It's not about sunshine and rainbows nor is it about living in a constant state of bliss where nothing ever goes wrong.) Rather happiness is what contributes to our overall well-being, health and success. We cultivate more happiness in our lives by elevating those elements that create a greater sense of "wholeness" within ourselves. Those elements are defined as SPIRE. (see chart at bottom of page)

S = Spiritual P = Physical I = Intellectual R = Relational E = Emotional

Focusing on the elements of SPIRE raises your awareness so that you can work to bring about more positive change in your life. Taking this "whole person" approach allows us to fulfill our highest potential and it's what makes up the whole of our happiness. Interestingly, you don't chase happiness directly rather you chase the elements that bring about more happiness. Happiness in and of itself isn't sustainable without having a sense of meaning, purpose and direction in our lives and that is where SPIRE comes in!

"The only definition of happiness is wholeness." - Helen Keller

As humans, we have a tendency to be pretty tough on ourselves and as such our brains like to default to the negative. This is called our "negativity bias". Psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson describes this phenomenon perfectly by saying, "In effect, the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones." Meaning, negative experiences tend to stick around causing us to ruminate whereas positive experiences are gone from our minds more quickly. Although this sounds rather depressing on the surface, there is a silver lining! We can actually retrain our brains over time and learn to redirect our focus to the positive rather than default to the negative. One way to do this, and increase our happiness in the process, is by utilizing a very simple tool - the SPIRE Check-In. (see chart at bottom of page)

When we take a step back to examine ourselves from different angles and perspectives, we are able to build a better picture of the whole. We can clearly see the interplay of all the elements of SPIRE and how they contribute to our whole person well-being and happiness. Let's get started!

So, how are you? Really.

Rather than answer this question from the surface level, the SPIRE Check-In invites you to create a deeper awareness so that you can begin to bring about more positive change in your life. It reinforces what is working well and allows you the space to improve on what is not.

The SPIRE Check-In is made up of three components:

1) Ascribe (Rate yourself on each element from a scale of 1-10)

2) Describe (Why did you give yourself that score?)

3) Prescribe (How can you improve? What action will you take?)

Using the worksheet below, you will begin by rating yourself across the five elements of SPIRE using a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest). Draw a line to indicate where you are right at this moment.

Next, it's time to explore why you gave yourself that rating. Name one or more of the drivers behind your assessment and write them on the line.

Now that you are able to see the "big picture", it's time to take some constructive action! Looking at your check-in, what action could you take across one (or more) elements that would elevate your sense of well-being, even if only slightly? Write that down next to the appropriate line. As you think about what action to take, note that it might not always be the lowest rating that drives the action. Instead, it could be that the highest rating is pushing the others down and that is where you need to place your focus.

The SPIRE Check-In is a useful tool that you can use on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis. Feel free to experiment and play around with it until you land on what works best for you. Remember, giving regular attention to the elements of SPIRE which make up our overall well-being is how we elevate and increase our levels of happiness and resilience. It all starts with awareness!

"Happiness is the experience of whole-person wellbeing or "wholebeing". - Happiness Studies Academy (HSA)