I am constantly telling people who come to me for individual consultation or who hear me speak in one format or another that I see myself functioning as a piano teacher. People come to me, and this is a metaphor, of course, because they want to learn how to play the piano. Or, they want to learn how to play it better. Even if a person found the best piano teacher in the world, just attending the lesson would not be enough. One has to practice.

In my counseling practice and when I am offering spiritual direction, either individually or to a group - such as the "life talks" I offer in Ordinary Life - I am constantly urging people to have a "daily spiritual practice." When people ask what such a practice might consist of or look like, I very often mention books to read.

The posts I'll be making under this "toolkit" menu will largely consist of very specific resources you can use to enhance your individual and/or relational well-being.

The very first book I would suggest is Cindy Wigglesworth's guide to emotional and spiritual growth, "SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence." Building on the work of pioneers in defining and describing various developmental stages of human personality - Jean Piaget and Daniel Goleman, for example, Cindy has developed a very understandable guide for growing in "spiritual intelligence." She describes "spiritual intelligence" as the ability to behave with wisdom and compassion while maintaining inner and outer people regardless of the situation.

Just like people, who want to develop physically might go to the gym or athletic club and lift weights, this book offers specific exercises to help a person grow in awareness, wisdom and skill in living in this increasingly complex and interdependent world.

My recommendation is to buy the book. It comes in hard copy and e-reader formats. Read a page or two a day. Put what you read into practice. See how doing so enhances every aspect of your life.