As 2023 nears its curtain call, ‘tis the season for rest, reflection and taking inventories of our mental and emotional fitness alongside physical health. But very few frameworks exist guiding this inner work with structure and rigor.
Enter Positive Intelligence - the brainchild of executive coach, Stanford lecturer and author Shirzad Chamine. His intensive research spotlighting the untapped potential of our minds yielded astounding revelations, spawning an eponymous bestseller and now a global movement.
Chamine’s work examines the dynamic tension within our psyche between two opposing forces constantly battling for control: The Sage vs. The Saboteurs. This never-ending inner tug-of-war radically shapes how we process information, interact with others and chart life’s course. Let’s expand on what defines these core personas.
Your Sage - Channeling Your Highest Self
The Sage represents your mind operating at its theoretical best - fully aligned with your deepest values absent of fear or doubts. They embody wisdom, creativity, curiosity, empathy, integrity, high achievement drive and more.
In many spiritual traditions, the Sage archetype connects to your Higher Self or inner guru - an enlightened mentor always available to guide your path, albeit often drowned out by noisier inputs. Chamine describes our Sage state as “being in the zone" - that magical flow where everything clicks, you lose track of time, and feel immersed in the joyful present.
But here’s the catch - the Sage only emerges occasionally for most people before Saboteurs surface to suppress it. Imagine your Sage as a toddler or delicate plant requiring gentle nurturing to strengthen its voice. The more we actively listen, the louder our Sage grows until reaching full maturity.
For now though, few access their Sage beyond fleeting glimpses during peak experiences. Yet therein lies massive unlocked potential if we cultivate conditions for its sustained presence! What if 20% Sage mode expanded to 50%, then 80% over time? How would your mindset, relationships and effectiveness transform with such a trusted guide lighting the path ahead?
Your Saboteurs - Undermining Forces Within
However, between our present state and expanded Sage access lurk the Saboteurs - shorthand for any thought pattern undermining our potential versus unleashing it. You can picture Saboteurs as sneaky villains in a movie trying to attack the upstanding hero (your Sage) early before they harness superpowers. 🦹♂️
Specifically, Chamine outlines 10 common Saboteur archetypes wired into primitive parts of our brain that instinctively react to perceived threats by fighting, fleeing or freezing. These include fear, frustration/anger, loneliness, guilt, greed/arrogance, insecure ego and more. None feel fun in the moment yet evolved as evolutionary survival mechanisms when humanity faced relentless physical dangers.
For example, anxiety anticipates hazards so we proceed cautiously. Anger spotlights injustice demanding correction. Jealousy safeguards scarce resources from competitors. Guilt enforces social norms to avoid punishment. We require all emotions for balance.
In modern society though, Saboteurs often overreact to symbolic versus literal risks - getting triggered by an ignored email, rude driver or market loss versus acute mortal peril. The intensity feels disproportionate. Such false alarms flood us with disruptive cognitive distortions, skewed perspectives plus hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Hijacked into Saboteur states, we fixate on negatives, assume worst-case scenarios, vilify others and lose sound judgement.
Over time, this self-sabotage mentality erodes relationships, performance/vitality and overall life quality. It becomes the top barrier holding most people back from sustainable success. Just when we need Sage instincts more than ever to navigate uncertainty, Saboteurs increasingly manipulate us instead.
Measuring Your PQ Score
This dynamic tug-of-war between Sage and Saboteurs defines your Personal Intelligence Quotient (PQ) Score - the percentage of time your mind spends in Sage mode as measured against competing Saboteur states. Specifically:
PQ Score = % of Time in Sage State vs. Saboteur States
PQ Scores range from 1-100, with higher ratings indicating your mind aligns more often with the Sage’s wisdom versus instinctual knee-jerk reactions from Saboteurs. Most people presently score around 40-60, meaning Saboteurs control their mental state almost half the time or more. 📉
However 75+ signifies a strong PQ Score where your Sage prevails at least 75% of the time across thoughts, moods and behaviors. This stage signifies solid conscious mastery over once-unruly Saboteurs. Now envision if we stretched further to lock in 80-90+ PQ ratings - essentially retraining Saboteurs to automatically support our Sage’s lead whenever facing uncertainty. 🎯
That makeover represents the life-changing shift Positive Intelligence aims to cultivate whether directing teams, transforming health, maximizing potential or simply finding daily peace. It begins with accurately diagnosing your present PQ Score then methodically strengthening it through Sage-nurturing / Saboteur-taming practices.
Investigating Your Saboteur Profile
Beyond your overall PQ Score lies the question of which specific Saboteurs currently wield the most damaging influence. Each plays distinct destructive roles:
The Judge is the universal saboteur that afflicts everyone. It is the one that beats you up repeatedly over mistakes or shortcomings, warns you obsessively about future risks, wakes you up in the middle of the night worrying, gets you fixated on what is wrong with others or your life, etc. Your Judge activates your other Saboteurs, causes much of your stress and unhappiness, reduces your effectiveness, and harms your relationships.
The Controller - Anxiety-based need to take charge and control situations and people’s actions to one’s own will. High anxiety and impatience when that is not possible.
The Hyper-Rational - intense and exclusive focus on the rational processing of everything, including relationships. Can be perceived as uncaring, unfeeling, or intellectually arrogant.
The Avoider - focusing on the positive and pleasant in an extreme way. Avoiding difficult and unpleasant tasks and conflicts.
The Hyper-Vigilant - continuous intense anxiety about all the dangers and what could go wrong. Vigilance that can never rest.
The Hyper-Achiever - Dependent on constant performance and achievement for self-respect and self-validation. Latest achievement quickly discounted, needing more.
The Pleaser - Indirectly tries to gain acceptance and affection by helping, pleasing, rescuing, or flattering others. Loses sight of own needs and becomes resentful as a result.
The Victim - emotional and tempermental as a way to gain attention and affection. An extreme focus on internal feelings, particularly painful ones. Martyr streak.
The Restless - restless, constantly in search of greater excitement in the next activity or constant busyness. Rarely at peace or content with the current activity.
The Stickler - perfectionism and a need for order and organization taken too far. Anxious trying to make too many things perfect.
When clustered as a collective, your prominent Saboteurs define a personalized profile representing the most disruptive aspects of your mind requiring attention. Pinpointing these trends through diagnostic assessments empowers you to then target transformation in the right places.
Assessing Your PQ Landscape
So where do you begin unlocking your current Sage vs Saboteur ratio and composition? Simple start by dedicating just 10 minutes to complete Chamine’s free online self-evaluations at www.PositiveIntelligence.com:
PQ Score Assessment A brief quiz measuring your PQ percentages based how often core Sage vs Saboteur traits manifest within your consciousness lately from 1-100.
Saboteur Assessment A questionnaire that maps your top-5 Saboteurs creating the most inner turbulence presently along with personalized insights for each.
After finishing these quick snapshots of your present PQ landscape, download your automated results reports for deeper analysis. First reflect holistically on your PQ Score number itself:
Did your score exceed or fall short of expectations? Why might that be?
Do you consider the rating a sensible measure of how often self-sabotaging thoughts currently arise?
How might you describe the general “felt experience” of your mind based on this score?
Now shift attention to your personalized Saboteurs lineup:
Which of your top saboteurs seem to capture authentic pain-points currently activated?
Are any surprises you hadn’t closely associated with yourself previously?
What evidence regularly shows up that demonstrates their influence day-to-day?
How do these saboteurs hold you back and contribute to stress?
Soak up these observations without judgement but rather curiosity into your psyche’s dynamics. Creating awareness alone begins downgrading sabotaging patterns into helpful messengers about unmet needs. Their distorted criticisms can transform into constructive feedback once examined more objectively.
Next seek additional qualitative context from colleagues, friends or family on whether your PQ results resonate or offer blindspots to what impressions you outwardly project. Integrating 360 feedback enriches conclusions. Only by first acknowledging the disproportionate control Saboteurs gain currently can you then begin methodically unseating them from the driver’s seat your mind occupies.
Nurturing Sage / Controlling Saboteur Strategies
Once equipped with comprehensive knowledge of your own PQ terrain, the real work begins upgrading your ratio toward increased Sage influence. Chamine details extensively evidence-based techniques for accomplishing this goal within his Positive Intelligence book and supplementary tools.
A core practice entails closely monitoring thought patterns in order to consciously intervene the moment any Saboteur emerges using the deeprooted “RIDER” model:
R - Recognize the Saboteur’s voice
I - Interrupt their running commentary
D - Disconfirm their distorted perspectives
E - Envision activating your Sage’s counter-wisdom
R - Reinforce the Sage’s proposed views
For example, catch your Inner Critic berating a small mistake and instantly pause this noise. Denounce its exaggerated shaming compared to the minor misstep. Intuit how your compassionate Sage would gently correct course while maintaining self-love. Then affirm that supportive perspective repeatedly.
With disciplined repetition, you can steadily strengthen the neural pathways giving your Sage “muscle memory” while atrophying Saboteur triggers over time. Stockpiling a repertoire of RIDER responses customized to each Saboteur provides backup when they strike.
Additional positive intelligence builder activities include:
Labeling every fleeting emotion, assumption or internal objections - even positively - to reveal hidden Saboteurs
Logging evidence against cognitive distortions called “disconfirming” in CBT therapy
Mental imagery continuously picturing your Sage prevailing
Designating recurring “check-in” times for PQ resets
Seeking accountability partners to verify shifts
Small consistent actions compound progress until reaching that tipping point threshold with PQ Score exceeding 75+ signifying the Sage decisively leading at last. 🎯
What Overriding a 75+ PQ Score Unlocks
Reaching this level of mental fitness promises a radically upgraded inner experience with carries through to outward results:
Intuition guides decisions aligned with your authentic needs and values
Focus remains locked on creative solutions versus fixating on obstacles
You embrace uncertainty as part of progress versus hiding from fears
Resilience to adversity accelerates as challenges get redefined as growth
Playful curiosity balances rational focus bringing flow states that unlock peak productivity
Stress from perceived pressures evaporates in favor of energizing priorities
Confidence soars along with willingness to take risks without self-judgement
Conflict leads to deeper connection absent ego or projections
In short, crossing the 75+ PQ threshold places your mind firmly on your side constantly. You operate from inspired vision instead of jaded assumptions. Absorbing setbacks as valuable feedback accelerates exponential success. 🚀
The Journey Continues...
Elevating your PQ Score represents a lifelong journey not defined end-state. Even occasional Saboteurs retain usefulness when heeded appropriately. The practice entails building skillful mastery relegating them to limited supporting roles as advisors rather than dictators.
So consider repeating assessments quarterly while designing your unique path toward untapped mental potential. Embrace setbacks as merely additional milemarkers toward PC enlightenment.
And for those seeking extra guidance during their upward Positive Intelligence climb, I offer both 1-on-1 PQ coaching and facilitating virtual group coaching programs. Feel free to reach out and let’s connect!
Wishing everyone enriched self-knowledge and unlocked mental firepower as we turn the page on 2023. Here’s to charting an inspired course ahead however long the voyage takes! Onward. 🥳