Developing Mental Fitness: Positive Intelligence
What Is Positive Intelligence?
The Positive Intelligence (PQ) program is a mental fitness framework developed by Shirzad Chamine, focusing on building mental resilience by strengthening positive thinking and weakening negative mental habits. The core idea is that the brain has developed a set of negative "saboteurs" that influence our thoughts and behaviors. The Positive Intelligence program works on increasing one's PQ (Positive Intelligence Quotient) by quieting the saboteurs and enhancing the Sage mindset, which is rooted in positive emotions, rational thinking, creativity, and empathy.
Key Concepts of Positive Intelligence:
Saboteurs: These are the mental patterns that lead to negative thinking and self-sabotage. They are internal critics, like the Judge, Controller, Victim, Pleaser, Restless, etc., that push us into stress, anxiety, and self-doubt.
Sage: The opposite of the saboteurs, the Sage represents the positive, solution-focused part of the brain. It is associated with calm, clarity, and empathy. The Sage mindset is activated in moments of mindfulness and focuses on seeing opportunities, rather than problems.
PQ Brain: This is the part of the brain that determines whether a person is being dominated by Saboteurs or whether they're operating from the Sage mindset. Improving PQ involves retraining the brain to default more to the Sage.
Mental Fitness: Just as physical fitness builds muscle, mental fitness builds the mental and emotional resilience needed to handle challenges with a positive mindset. Positive Intelligence provides tools to "train" the brain for this resilience.
How a Life Coach Would Use PQ with a Client:
As a life coach, I provide personalized guidance to help clients: incorporate the Positive Intelligence program into their practice so they can:
Identify Saboteurs: The first step is to take an assessment to discover which saboteurs are most active in your life. This awareness is key in understanding how negative thought patterns might be influencing your decisions, behaviors, and emotions.
Strengthen the Sage: Once saboteurs are identified,I will help you develop strategies to activate your Sage. This might involve:
Mindfulness exercises (to get out of the fight-or-flight mode and into a calm state),
Visualization techniques (to reframe challenges as opportunities),
Gratitude practices (to focus on what's going well instead of what's wrong),
Self-compassion practices (to replace harsh self-criticism with understanding).
Use of PQ Tools: The PQ program offers tools such as the "PQ reps," which are simple mental exercises designed to shift the mind away from negative patterns and activate positive, Sage-like thinking.
These include:
- Focused attention exercises (like focusing on the breath or physical sensations to create mindfulness),
- Quick mental resets to regain emotional control
- Self-command practices (to shift from the Saboteur mode into Sage mode).
- Reframe Challenges: A big part of the program is reframing problems from a positive lens. I will work with you to shift your perspective from seeing challenges as insurmountable to viewing them as growth opportunities, where you can apply creativity, learning, and resilience.
- Build Mental Fitness Over Time: PQ is not a quick fix but a practice that takes time. I will help you integrate these mental fitness tools into your daily life.
- Accountability & Progress: I may use PQ tools to track your progress over time, providing accountability for ongoing improvement and recognizing moments when you have successfully used your Sage mindset to handle a tough situation.
- By working with you to strengthen yourPositive Intelligence, I can help you to make more empowered, less reactive decisions, improve your relationships and performance, reduce stress, and become more focused and confident in achieving your goals.
Ultimately, the goal is to replace the automatic, reactive thinking driven by the Saboteurs with conscious, positive thinking rooted in the Sage, allowing you to feel more empowered, emotionally balanced, and mentally agile.
What's your plan?
Are you struggling in the areas of wellbeing, performace or relationships? Let’s work together to help establish a life of ease and flow for you!