Journey of Personal
Development
(Part 3)
Self-Discovery, Healing, & Growth
© Paul T. P. Wong
Overview
• How to achieve optimal wellness
• The problem of self-absorption
• The portrait of a fully developed person
• The nature of spirituality
• The benefits of spirituality
• Spirituality Exercises
Transcendental
World
Personal
World
Relational
World
Spiritual
World
Personal
World
Relational
World
Picture of a
Besieged Mentality
Picture of a Free Spirit
The Importance of
Spirituality
• We become free and complete when we fulfill our
true nature in all three realities – personal, social,
and spiritual.
• There is always an inner emptiness, a hole in our
soul. That is our inner yearning for spiritual
fulfillment.
• The spiritual dimension is a potent source of healing
and transformation. There are no hopeless cases.
Portrait of a
Spiritual Person
• Spiritually attuned people are at peace with
themselves, at peace with others, and at
peace with the world.
• They are perfectly comfortable in their
elements.
• They are free from anxieties, free to pursue
their dreams, and detached from what is
transient,
Portrait of a
Spiritual Person
Portrait of Two
Spiritual Leaders
The life of a spiritual person is full of light.
Religion vs. Spirituality
Religion
Spirituality
• Institutionalized
• Individualized
• Centralized authority
• No central authority
• Dogmas
• No dogmas
• Organized rituals
• Personal rituals
• A source of conflict
• A source of peace
• Faith community
• Lack of community
• More resources
• Less resources
What is the spiritual
dimension?
• We are all spiritual beings
• Our spiritual core consists of quest for meaning and
self-transcendence.
• The main attributes of spirituality are: love,
connection with others and connection with the
whole – the creation and the Creator.
• Our spiritual dimension separates us from all other
creatures.
Non-Religious Spirituality
• Our quest for answers to the Big Questions.
• Assumptions, worldviews, and moral values
about the world in which we live.
• Making sense of our suffering and personal
mortality.
• Creating myths to understand the mystical and
mysterious of life.
Five Universal
Spiritual Needs
1. Faith – Our need to pray or worship a higher power
2. Sacredness – Our need for experiencing something
sacred or holy
3. Self-transcendence – Our need to serve or connect
with something greater than ourselves
4. Meaning-making – Our need to make sense of our
own lives and human existence
5. Conscience – Our need to do what is good and right
Faith is a
Human Universal
• Faith is not only an innate capacity.
Everybody believes in something greater than
themselves.
• It is also the most important facet of
spirituality.
• It answers our existential questions, such as
“Why are we here?” “How should we live?”
Faith is a
Human Universal (2)
• At affects how we live and how we die.
• Faith gives us hope in hopeless situations.
• It set us free from worldly concerns,
• Faith offers grace, redemption and
wholeness, even when other human means
have failed.
Adaptive Functions of
Spirituality
• It endows life with a deeper personal significance.
• It is a potent source of meaning in a variety of life
situations.
• It enables us to find coherence in the midst of chaos
and absurdity.
• It makes our lives worth living even in the face of
suffering and death.
• It connects us with a spiritual community and with a
Higher Power.
Examples of
Spiritual Exercises
• Daily meditation and prayer
• Personal reflection and life review
• Reading and practicing sacred scriptures
• Taking part in rituals and religious services
• Practicing gratitude, forgiveness, & compassion
• Following a spiritual director or mentor
Benefits of Spiritual
Exercises
• Increased happiness and well-being based on
appreciation and inner peace
• Increased freedom from worries and fears
• Increased meaning in life based on a sense of
calling & divine guidance
Benefits of Spiritual
Exercises (2)
• Increased sense of coherence
• Becoming more detached to material things
• Better relationships based on forgiveness &
compassion
• Greater contribution to society based on selftranscendence
Conclusion
• Spirituality is the key to our quest for
meaning.
• It is the best and most noble aspect of human
nature.
• Only in developing our spirituality can we
become mature and balanced persons, capable
of fully functioning in all seasons of life.
Take Home Message
• It would be hard to go through life without
becoming aware of your spiritual dimension.
• Life becomes deeper, freer, and more
meaningful, when it is imbued with
spirituality.
• Be open to life and exercise your innate
capacity for faith.