Spiritual health, in my opinion, is one of the main aspects of a human being’s natural cycle of development. After you are done with your studies, you would usually start a career. But it has never been emphasized that one should actually educate one’s spirit.
Spirituality is defined this way by Wikipedia:
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live”.
from Wikipedia, Helix Nebula aka "The Eye Of God"
From a human development standpoint it really is about meaning, purpose and values. So the next question I’d ask is: are we spiritually healthy? In many cases, few people seek the pathway to fulfillment simply because they are constantly embattled by things that are non-spiritual in nature. The ability for them to step out of it, however seems as likely as a drug addict with cravings for that drug.
I think a simple way of considering our spiritual health is this:
- Do I know what purpose I serve in this world? If you are clear on this question, then almost everything you do will have your own moral compass. Every choice and decision you make will be based on this benchmark. Even in regular life, when you think of things that are not effective for living, for instance, procrastinating, you might be able to better assess this through the connection you have with your own personal vision and goals.
- Am I expanding my capacity to love? This is an interesting proposition: that when an individual expands his or her capacity to love others beyond oneself, that the ultimate sensation of happiness comes. By extrapolation it might mean that one thing to help us realize spiritual health would be to increase our ability and capacity for love, even in the face of hatred and hostility.
- Do I find myself in a position to help others? The biggest concern so far for most people is that they are never in a position to contribute. Their main worry is “if I can’t help myself, how can I help others?” Unfortunately, this is based on the mindset of scarcity, and a clear indicator of spiritual weakness. People who selflessly help others because they have plenty of money are not really deemed as saints and angels anyway! Conversely, if you work with contribution as a priority in spite of your limitations, the very act of sacrifice makes for a richer sense of the spiritual self.
Stuart Tan, MBA, SDCG, BA (Hons), is a Licensed NLP Trainer since 1997, a trained counselor and therapist since 1999, and a leadership, team performance and change management consultant. He certifies NLP Practitioners and Master Practitioners through a competency based approach. He is also an executive coach and life coach.
Contact him for information about his corporate seminars, certification workshops and coaching services.