Spiritual Weightlifting

A LESSON FROM INTERSPIRITUAL COUNSELING

In her work on “21 Skills of Spiritual Intelligence, “Cindy Wigglesworth offers a 9-step process for what she calls “spiritual weightlifting” – a way to strengthen and grow our spiritual muscles.

To support that shift from ego to Higher Self. These 9 steps, though simple, are profound, and meant to use in a time when we're triggered. The good news is we can put these 9 steps into practice right away, because the next thing that triggers us may not be too far away! Learning to take these steps can produce dramatic results – at home with our families, working with colleagues, sitting through multiple zoom meetings – one step at a time.

9-Step Process to support the development of Spiritual Intelligence,
by Cindy Wigglesworth

Step 1: STOP (insert pause here!)

Step 2: BREATHE (long, slow, deep belly breaths)

Step 3: ASK FOR HELP (from your higher self, the divine, or other people)

Step 4: OBSERVE yourself (body/breath, heart, and mind – helps cultivate witness)

Step 5: IDENTIFY and embrace ego concerns: Let ego speak – it has part of the truth

Step 6: LOOK deeply for root causes of ego concerns (ask why 5 X)

Step 7: REFRAME the situation (see with new eyes, wisdom & compassion: How could I see this differently? Is there another way to see this?)

Step 8: REFOCUS (on something to be grateful for)

Step 9: CHOOSE a spiritually intelligent response (shifting to Higher Self)

And because 9 steps are a lot to remember, there’s a distilled shortcut that’s more practical for daily use. It takes the most urgent parts of the 9 steps and condenses them into an acronym S-O-U-L.

4-Step Shortcut for daily use: S-O-U-L

S: STOP. Interrupt the old habit pattern. Breathe. Ask Higher Self for help or pray.

O: OBSERVE what is going on. Step back and call on your witness mind.

U: UNDERSTAND that there is more here than the habitual understanding. See through the others’ eyes. Can I see this differently?

L: Find a LOVING (compassionate/wise) response, even if it’s “I’ll get back to you.”