Hello and welcome to reinforce U, this is Coach D your health and wellness guide to help you along with your mental, physical, and spiritual journey of life.

Each of us must find and choose the right course to reach our ultimate destination. As a health and wellness coach and educator, I offer up as many science-based and backed skills exposure, along with alternative approaches when the traditional medicine model isn’t working for you.

In this first Christmas special edition, we are continuing last week’s discussion on transcendence. This week, in this extended episode I talk with Pastor Mike Wilkinson of the Knoxville first Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In positive psychology, there is a virtue or category known as transcendence. Basically, it is feeling a part of something much larger than yourself. In this episode, we continue discussing transcendence from a pastoral point of view and how this virtue can help you live a happier, more purpose-filled life.
 
 In this week’s show we discuss gratitude, hope, faith, and why do bad things happen to good people. I hope this episode will give you a reason to believe that tomorrow can be better than today.

Many have this need or desire, a longing to be part of something bigger than themselves. The science of happiness or the field of positive psychology refers to this idea of virtue as #transcendence. What is transcendence and what does it have to do with happiness?

People are seeking happiness but don't know where or how to find it? They are looking for something but unsure of what they are looking for? They, maybe you feel that you're empty inside. Many feel tired. Like life is dragging them down with a feeling as if life is passing them or possibly passing you by. Part of this emptiness may be because you are looking for a sense of purpose, a reason, so basic to be enough just to get out of bed in the morning. We all need to feel that we matter. That there is a reason we are even alive.

Transcendence is also about rising above your normal day-to-day worries and concerns. It's a feeling of elevation, of being inspired. You might feel it when you look up at the stars and think about how small you are compared to the universe. Maybe when you're in nature, when listening to beautiful music, or watching your child asleep that's when you sleep into this feeling associated with transcendence.

Principle of Positive Psychology that Works!

As a health and wellness coach, it is important to help others improve their lives. I could willy nilly guess at ways to help others improve their lives or I can stand on both the shoulders of modern giants of modern positive psychology and those going back for more than 4,000 years. To ancient Greeks, monks, spiritual and philosophy leaders. For me, I have to take a few things into consideration.

First, it has to work. The principals have to be sound. They have to be simple. That doesn't necessarily mean easy to accomplish or change. It simply means the idea has to make sense to those I'm trying to explain it to. The individuals need to apply them to their lives. and what better way to know if your principles are sound than to look at the science behind them. So, stepping back into the science of positive psychology what are the character strengths associated with transcendence and how can we utilize them to improve our sense of well-being?

Character Strengths of the Virtue of Transcendence

If you've been following along over the past few weeks, you know in positive psychology, the VIA Institute has identified 24 different character strengths categorized under 7 virtues. You can also find more of my writing on character strengths here. Under transcendence, we have the following character strengths: spirituality, perspective, creativity, appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hopefulness. Let's take a look at each one and discuss how we can find a creative way to implement them into our daily lives.

Spirituality 

If you're struggling to find purpose or meaning in your life as many people are today spirituality is a great way to help you gain a sense of transcendence.

However, spirituality is not necessarily about going to church more often or memorizing religious scriptures even though for some those acts may be a part of it. Spirituality is more of a belief system that you can implement into your life. You get to decide what spirituality means for you and develop it in a way that works for you.

A person with spirituality actively searches for new information on how they can improve themselves from the inside out. They don't believe that they know everything and are always looking to learn and grow. They take an interest in their own development and the development of others. They see life as a journey with many opportunities for growth and change.

That overarching theme

In Episode 0003 of Reinforce U: Part 2 of my interview with Health & Wellness Coach Leticia Gonzales. Leticia continues sharing her and her family's journey living with multiple autoimmune disorders, their strong faith, and how they refuse to be defined by health issues. As a bonus, Leticia takes us on a mental cleanse through the power of visualization techniques that she uses to clear her mind and stay focused on life and living in the moment.

She shares her advice on being your strongest advocate and taking responsibility for one's own health. By instilling these principles in here four children, they are thriving independently and as a family. We discuss the shift in the traditional medicine model to the functional medicine approach and how the mind-body medicine lifestyle has limited the effects of living with Hashimoto's disorder and other complex autoimmune disorders.

 At the conclusion of her interview, we pick back up on applying the VIA Institute's character strengths. We discuss the virtue of Humanity and its strengths of Love, Kindness, and Social Intelligence. We explore five exercises utilizing each strength to improve one's own sense of well-being. In this extended podcast, we help you take one more step toward being the person you long to be.

The medical topics discussed are Leticia's journey and are not meant to advise you on the appropriate care plan for you and your family! These illnesses are serious and any care decisions should be made between you and your healthcare team.

You can take the free VIA  character survey at: https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths-via

Learn more about flourishing, coping, and learn to find ways to grow and find true happiness on the Reinforce U website at: https://reinforceu.com/coaching/

More about Coach Leticia:
Leticia Gonzales Biography
Leticia Gonzales S-FMCHC is a mother of 4 and married to her husband of 18 years. She has been living with Hashimoto's for 13 years, but unfortunately, she was only diagnosed seven years ago. Through the past 15+ years, Leticia has also been helping her children thrive through their medical diagnoses of Hashimoto’s, EDS Syndrome, Unspecified Anxiety, OCD, PCOS, ADHD & Dyslexia. Rather than giving up and allowing the stress and feeling overwhelmed to take over, she learned how to live with a purpose. She decided to dedicate her next chapter in life to helping those going through similar situations to regain their self-empowerment through Functional Medicine. Leticia is currently working towards her certification in Functional Medicine at FMCA and becoming Board Certified. Her struggles and studies towards becoming a Board-Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach have allowed her to grow and gain powerful tools to help others. Today Leticia offers individual services to Adults, Teens & our youth. You can reach Leticia through her email at: lgonzales.fm@gmail.com.

Leticia believes..."We are not defined by our medical diagnoses nor our current life situations. Instead, we are defined by what we do, our actions, our desire to thrive, and our desire to LIVE."