We are juggling the global pandemic while worrying about our ageing parents. Trying our best to meet the needs of our spouses, kids, and clients while advancing our studies and career if not establishing businesses. Overwhelm, anxiety, self-doubt, and/or paralysis kick-in time-to-time… Many professionals got retrenched or voluntarily stepped down to care for their families. Nevertheless, the stresses that we are experiencing are feeding negative thoughts and emotions. But the good news is that you can learn to think and feel positive instead! Mental Fitness is the solution for success with happiness.
Mental Fitness in a Nutshell
Shirzad Chamine defines Mental Fitness as “your capacity to respond to life’s challenges with positive rather than a negative mindset”. The positive mindset further leads to:
- better performance
- peace of mind / wellness
- healthy relationships.
Mental Fitness is about increasing your positive intelligence quotient (PQ). Positive intelligence is based on factor analysis combining neuroscience, positive psychology, cognitive psychology, and performance science. The research data is gathered from hundreds of CEOs and their executive teams, Stanford students, world-class athletes and over 500,000 participants from over 50 countries. You may find more about this research in a book from Shirzad Chamine (2012) Positive Intelligence.
The factor analysis goes to the root of the problem. It has been established that there are three core muscles that need to be exercised for optimal PQ. These are:
- Saboteur Interceptor
- Sage
- Self-command
Saboteur Interceptor
Based on the factor analysis there are ten saboteurs behind our negative thoughts. The universal Master Saboteur is the Judge. You may be used to call this one as inner critique. It is all about judging yourself, others, and/or circumstances.
The Judge has nine accomplish saboteurs: Controller, Stickler, Avoider, Hyper-Achiever, Pleaser, Victim, Restless, Hyper-Vigilant and Hyper-Rational.
The personal accomplish saboteurs depend on individual’s unique nature and experiences in life. Saboteurs motivate you through negative, fear-based emotions. The Saboteur Interceptor locates in the brainstem, limbic system in the parts of our left-brain.
Sage
As per the factor analysis, the sage perspective is about turning any challenging outcome or circumstance into a gift or opportunity. There are five universal sage powers as follows:
- Empathise
- Explore
- Innovate
- Navigate
- Activate
These powers locate in middle prefrontal cortex, empathy circuitry in the parts of right brain. So, using sage is about motivation with positive emotions such as love, curiosity, creativity, passion, and purpose.
Self-Command
Negative thoughts are not beneficial for our health and well-being. We should treat them as signal of pain and address them immediately. The Self-command muscle is about changing the pathways in your neurocircuitry, which has been proved to be possible in six to eight weeks with MRI scans.
We can manage our thoughts. If one chooses negative thoughts it will lead to negative emotions and Saboteur behaviour. Choosing positive thoughts lead to positive emotions and Sage behaviour. So, the question is: Which perspective is true? And the answer: Whichever you choose to feed!
What does it take?
Average PQ score is around 50%. Optimal for your success and happiness is 75% or more. To improve your PQ score and feel calm, in control, happy you need initially an intensive daily practice over two-month period. Knowledge will help you only 20%. The rest 80% is about practice!
I have with Positive Intelligence to incorporate Mental Fitness in my coaching. This is done by combining training, app-enabled daily practice to accountability and coaching.
It is possible to learn to work smart instead of hard!
It is possible to change thoughts that are holding you back.
It is possible to have good relationships.
It is possible to be happy and successful.
PQ applies to different areas of life.
P.S. Should you be interested in Mental Fitness, contact me for a complimentary discovery call. What area of life do you want to start with?
Pauliina Mapatha has twenty years of experience in both the government and non-profit sectors and is a certified life coach. She established her own consultancy company in 2006 and has found her passion for supporting individuals and organisations with change, transformation and wellness.
To contact coach Pauliina click here.
