What do you pay more attention to: your inner voice or the constant nagging distraction of notifications that pop-up on your smart phone, tablet, and computer?
What do you give more credibility to: your gut instincts or your Judge – that universal inner critic we all struggle to silence?
When sitting with another human being, what do you pay more attention to: the other person’s words and body language, or your internal voice that pushes forward the laundry list of things you want to say in response?
When actively moving your body (jogging, cycling, hiking, rowing, etc.,), where does your attention go? To your breath and heartbeat? To your surroundings? To your thoughts? To the music coming through your ear buds? The performance of others moving near you?
My invitation to you:
Tune in. Notice. Observe.
Why?Wherever you direct your attention, energy follows.* In other words: you get more of what you are focusing on.
Ask yourself: are you focusing on what you want more of?
Bring your mind into alignment with your vision in each moment. It’s not easy, but it’s straight forward.
Build your alignment muscle by practicing again and again and again and again and again and again… you get the idea.
To be more focused and productive: focus your attention on the single task you are performing.
To connect more deeply and better understand others: breathe and listen with curiosity, ignoring that ego-based need to share your ideas and opinions: be fully present with the other and appreciate your experience and what you can learn by doing so.
To reduce stress and preserve precious life force energy: turn off audio and visual notifications from your email, social media, and other apps. You can always carve out time later to check them with focused attention.
Remember:Wherever you direct your attention, energy follows.* You get more of what you are focusing on in life, in relationships, and in work.
*Erin’s 2nd foundational principle — learned from the practice of yoga asana — with infinite applications in life off the mat.
We’re finally here: ready to explore the final Sage Power. If you’ve travelled with me on this journey to learn more about the Judge and the 9 Accomplish Saboteurs, and then more recently the Sage Perspective and the Sage Powers, fantastic! I acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate your curiosity and openness to learn more in order to strengthen your mental fitness. If you want to catch up on any of these topics before reading about today’s final Sage Power, I invite you to explore past blog postshere.
WHEN TO USE THE ACTIVATE POWER?*
As the Activate power is the final of the five powers (Empathy, Explore, Innovate, Navigate, then Activate), you will experience the greatest benefit in using it after you FIRST shift to Empathy for self and others, SECOND creatively examine what are the factors at play in the situation you perceive to be a challenge (using the Explore power), THIRD expand your options to address the challenge (using the Innovate power), and FOURTH use the Navigate power to determine the best path forward.
WHY USE THE ACTIVATE POWER?*
To ensure a smooth and successful path forward! By bringing online the Sage parts of the brain that correspond to creativity, empathy, and laser-focused clarity, you will move forward without the type of disruption you may have experienced in the past with saboteur interference. By using the Activate power, when you encounter new hurdles, small or big, you’ll be able to more quickly shift to positive Sage emotion and continue to dynamically utilize whichever of the Sage powers best serves the purpose in each moment.
Over time, as you practice shifting to Sage and utilizing these powers more and more, you will strengthen the neural pathways in the brain that light up and connect to your Sage brain.
When I recently re-took the Saboteur and PQ Score assessments I saw concrete evidence of the significant shift of experience I have had over the past year…. weaker Saboteurs, stronger Sage… which translates to sustained happiness, higher levels of performance, and more positive relationships. This work is worth it!
Click to enlarge
HOW TO USE THE ACTIVATE POWER?*
In the Positive Intelligence mental fitness model, its creator Shirzad Chamine shares a recommended Activate “power game” called “Pre-empt the Saboteurs.” In addition, I have found it deeply beneficial to explore the thoughts that arise with each saboteur using a sequence of question prompts. Below I share details on how to utilize both of these practices as part of employing this final Sage power. Read on to learn more, and be in touch with any clarification questions.
HOW TO PRE-EMPT DAMAGING SABOTEUR BEHAVIOR:
Step 1: Ask yourself: “Now that I am clear on what action is most fitting to address my challenge, which of my saboteurs are most likely to show up and try to get in my way?”
Step 2: Make a list of the saboteurs.
Step 3: For each saboteur, state out loud or write down specifics about how that saboteur will try to derail you or disrupt your success. Include:
Words it might speak to you quietly (or loudly) in your own mind
What it might do to interfere with your interactions with other people
How it might try to trip you up through misdirection or overcomplication or other means.
The more detailed you can document, the more likely you will quickly and successfully identify the saboteur behavior in the moment.
Step 4: For each saboteur thought or action, then clarify what you will say in response, or what you can do instead to stop the saboteur in its tracks. This might include doing PQ reps to shift to Sage, or calling a friend who is an accountability buddy, or reminding yourself of your intended goal, or a response statement you say in your mind to tell truth to your saboteur’s lie.
The key idea with this fourth step is to put in place a game plan for every likely saboteur action so your saboteurs are unsuccessful.
HOW TO EMPLOY ERIN’S ADDITIONAL TACTIC
If you notice a particularly tricky lie a saboteur tells you, or an area where you repeatedly get stuck, you can try an additional approach I use in coaching my clients. This tactic involves using a question prompt repeatedly until you have the clarity you need to move forward without saboteur interference.
I recommend you do this with a friend in dialogue OR you can do it on your own by writing it down like a script using the following template. To bring this to life, I’ll use the situation where your saboteur tells you that “you don’t have enough time”.
NOTE: When you use this tactic, start by substituting your own saboteur’s lie in place of “you don’t have enough time” and follow along with this format.
When you say “I don’t have enough time”, what does that mean?
[You write down whatever comes to mind, then restate it with the words “what does that mean?” after your words. For example…”]
“It means I’m not making this a priority.”
When you say “I’m not making this a priority,” what does that mean?
“That means that most likely my Avoider saboteur is afraid of dealing with this situation.”
When you say “my Avoider saboteur is afraid of dealing with this situation”, what does that mean?
“It means I need to pause, do some PQ reps, for as long as it takes for me to shift to Sage, then remind myself why this is so important to me.”
You repeat this format until you have an insight or realize what you need to do in order to move forward without saboteur interference. There may be times when this exchange repeats numerous times for many minutes and ultimately reveals a deep-seeded underlying belief that is at the heart of a particular saboteur’s lies and disruptive behavior.
I have found this approach to be more powerful when practiced either with another person or after you have done PQ reps to shift more deeply into Sage mode.
By using the “pre-empt the saboteur” power game and, if needed, the additional tactic illustrated above, you channel your Sage super powers to generate the best possible result.
Using the Activate power has become a habit for me, such that when I notice a saboteur response to an activity I previously did not like (such as answering my accountant’s questions), I immediately ask myself, “Okay, which saboteurs might show up and what am I going to do about it?” In this way, I very quickly and seamlessly am able to skip over the drama and foot dragging of my Avoider saboteur. The benefits? I get the work done in a fraction of the time, saving me mental and emotional exhaustion, as well as precious time. When you use your Activate power and try these approaches, please email me to let me know how this worked for you and what insights you gained.
Learn More
To read about the overall Positive Intelligence model and foundational mental fitness training program, I’ve included an overview of the model on my website. To read previous blog posts about the Sage Perspective and the 10 Saboteurs, start here.
*Source: Shirzad Chamine and his Positive Intelligence mental fitness model. Erin completed her certification with Shirzad and Positive Intelligence, Inc. in the spring of 2021 and is now a Certified Positive Intelligence mental fitness coach (CPQC).
The corona virus has disrupted the way we live and work, bringing both value and vulnerability to the post-pandemic economy. Collectively speaking, deep and profound scars have been left from this past year’s trauma. In a historical moment, we’ve been given the opportunity to rewrite the old rules, and add meaning to the “new normal.” As we prepare for this new frontier, it’s important to remain flexible, open and resilient to these new and unexpected changes in our lives, careers and in the broader world. While the road to re-entry may be rocky, and not without challenges, it is also a special moment in time to define and create meaning for the new future we are creating together.
What if you could find almost immediate guidance within yourself at any time, in any place, in any situation in your life, without needing to leave your home, or call a friend, or seek the support of a therapist? What if? This is what I find to be so essentially useful and (at times) life-saving about the Sage power I’m writing about this week. It’s called the Navigate power*.
WHEN TO USE THE NAVIGATE POWER?
After you have creatively explored many different options and points of view using the Innovate power and you need to clarify what is most important and what you can let go of: that is an excellent time to use the Navigate power.
THE BENEFITS
Once activated, the Navigate power will help you to:
Clarify what is most important
Discern what is no longer useful or worthy of your mental and physical energy
Illuminate forgotten internal and external resources, whether they be skills, people, material, or monetary
Decide the best path forward in a way that is manageable and meaningful
HOW TO USE IT?*
In the Positive Intelligence mental fitness model, its creator Shirzad Chamine teaches a method to tap into a deep and true source of compelling discernment at the heart of the Navigate power: it is called a “power guide” in the Positive intelligence model and it is your own wiser, elder Self. Using this power guide is not quite as simple as turning on a light switch, but once you know how to do it, then you can activate it almost as quickly.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Shift into your Sage brain through some PQ reps – my favorite are breath and tactile reps. Many of my clients prefer movement reps which help them quickly get into their body and quiet the busy thinking mind.
Step 2:Once your brain is in Sage mode, then begin to visualize in your mind’s eyes your wiser, elder Self sitting (or standing) across from you. Since my pronouns are she/her, I’ll explain this using my own pronouns, but you can switch these out for your own:
>See her there and notice what her hair looks like: color, texture, length, style, and any movement.
>Then notice her face, skin of the face, facial expression and the quality of energy and light coming through her eyes as she gazes at you and shares the space with you.
>What does her body posture look like, and what overall energy does her being convey to you?
>Perhaps notice her clothing and anything around her: what is she standing or sitting on, and what (if anything) is in the space around her?
>Take in any other details of her form, energy, and being with curious noticing, until you get a clear idea of who she is and how she is showing up for you.
Step 3: Look her in the eye and invite her to have a dialogue with you, to invite her all-knowing, clear-seeing insights and guidance about your situation, knowing that she only has in mind your highest and greatest good. Ask her questions such as:
>What is most important about this situation?
>And what is not so important? What can I ignore or let go of?
>What is in my best interest to do or not do in this situation?
>What and who will be useful resources and supports for me as I move forward?
Continue to ask questions until you have clarity about your situation and what you want to do about it.
Step 4: Once you feel complete in your exploration with her, then extend sincere, heart-felt thanks to her for showing up for you!
I’ve now practiced this so many times that I can close my eyes and invite her in without as much preparation or imagining. Assuming I’m already in Sage brain, she is there for me almost immediately, ready to share her wisdom.
If you try this, please email me to let me know how this worked for you and what insights you gained. After you learn the final Sage power next week, you’ll then have the final ingredient to ensure you are able to move forward with the full range and depth of your best self without obstruction from those nasty saboteurs.
What’s Ahead
Next week I’ll reveal the final of the five Sage Powers and share with you how you can bring them all together (with the Sage Perspective) for the greatest potential benefit. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey to learn how to weaken the negative influences of the saboteurs so you can tap into and channel your Sage brain for greater mental well-being, stronger relationships, and your highest level of performance.
Learn More To read about the overall Positive Intelligence model and foundational mental fitness training program, I’ve included an overview of the model on my website. To read previous blog posts about the Sage Perspective and the 10 Saboteurs,start here.
*Source: Shirzad Chamine and his Positive Intelligence mental fitness model. Erin completed her certification with Shirzad and Positive Intelligence, Inc. in the spring of 2021 and is now a Certified Positive Intelligence mental fitness coach (CPQC).
Each week, I’ve been sharing one of the six ways you can use your Sage brain and activate your highest level of creativity, focus, and happiness. So far, you’ve learned about…
The Explore Power (a powerful tool to counter the nasty Judge saboteur)
And this week, I share two ways you can utilize the INNOVATE power – the 3rd of the five Sage powers. Why spend a few minutes learning about this power? It helps you get un-stuck, expand possibilities, generate new and innovative solutions, and look at people & situations through new Sage eyes.
WHAT IS THE INNOVATE POWER?*
The Sage Innovate power is one of five Sage powers that can be used to activate and channel positive emotions in service to your greatest possible creativity. When your Innovate power is online, you will happily surprise yourself with the insights and ideas that emerge. When working together with others, using the Innovate power game (see below for ways to activate the innovate power), the possibilities are positively magnified.
WHEN TO USE THE INNOVATE POWER
A fitting time to use the Innovate power is when you (or others) know you can benefit from generating a huge number of diverse ideas to consider before settling on a best course forward. This can be particularly useful with problem solving, but also for creating something new: a new service or product, a new process, a new way of managing time, a new parenting strategy, a new cash flow management approach, anything at all.
Another suitable application for the Innovate power is when you (others) want to expand your view of what is possible: when you are feeling stuck in a position or point of view; when you cannot see any other way forward; or when someone else is telling you that you are being too close-minded.
2 WAYS TO ACTIVATE THE INNOVATE POWER*
There is one official “power game” to be used with the Innovate power, as offered by Shirzad Chamine in the Positive Intelligence mental fitness approach. The power game, called the “Yes… And…” game will be familiar to you if you have participated in any creative brainstorming or design thinking exercises. The second way to activate the Innovate power is borrowed from this power game, but used in a slightly different way. I find it helpful for seeing possibilities when I and another person have quite different points of view. I invite you to read about both and use whichever calls to you for each situation.
THE “YES…. AND…” GAME*
The “Yes… And…” game is the official power game used in Positive Intelligence to channel the Innovate power. It is best employed with one or more people, in the following way.
First, define the challenge or problem or opportunity you want to develop more options to address. This first clarification step is important to ensure you all are talking about the same thing.
Next, remind yourself, and the others, that no idea is a bad idea. Everything goes. In the time period you define (e.g., 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, however long) that you play this game, there will be no criticizing or classifying or removing of ideas.
To play the game, the first person states any idea that pops into mind that could be employed to address the defined challenge or problem or opportunity. Then, the next person states one aspect of that idea that they like in the following format “Yes, what I like about that is…” then follows that statement by another idea that is inspired by the first idea, as follows “… and what that brings to mind is…”. Then this format continues, with each person stating what they like about the prior person’s like with the preceding words “Yes, what I like about that is…” and following with another new idea “… and that makes me think of…” and so on.
EXAMPLE:
A way to take a vacation without spending any money
IDEA #1:
Become adopted by a famous billionaire who then pays for our vacation
RESPONSE #1 and IDEA #2:
Yes, what I like about that idea is we’ll have a new family member soon, and that makes me think that Uncle Joe did actually offer for us to stay in his cabin in the Ozarks anytime he is not using it.
RESPONSE #2 and IDEA #3:
Yes, what I like about that is I’ve always wanted to visit the middle of the US, and that reminds me that I saw an online content to enter to win a week-long vacation to Nashville.
And so on, continuing for 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or for however long you determined.
How to wrap-up this power game?
At the close of the “Yes… And…” brainstorming, ask each person what their favorite ideas are, then work together to determine next steps, which might include further research, or taking action to execute on the chosen idea.
LOOKING FOR WHAT IS 10% RIGHT
This power game can be slightly adapted to help two people with opposing views to better understand one another and create common ground for moving forward together. To learn about this (or refresh your memory), read the original post about 10% right here.
THE BENEFITS
Once you’re in the positive Sage state of mind (experiencing positive emotions only), you can use the Innovate power to generate lots of ideas to feed into anything you’re working on – at home, with friends or family, at work, with colleagues, or even on your own as a verbal or writing brainstorming approach.
When you utilize the Sage Innovate power, you may experience one or more of these benefits:
Having fun with everyday work or life challenges or opportunities
Getting un-stuck when you can’t think of another way forward
Expanding your mind with many new and different possibilities you would otherwise not consider when moving forward in your normal way
Generating new and innovative solutions for how you work with others and how you get work done
Looking at people & situations through new Sage eyes
Winning an award for the most innovative solution!
In the next two weeks, I’ll share about the remaining two Sage Powers to round out your understanding of what’s possible with using the Positive Intelligence mental fitness model and activating the full array of benefits that come from shifting to and staying in Sage throughout each day of your life.
Learn More To read about the overall Positive Intelligence model and foundational mental fitness training program, I’ve included an overview of the model on my website. To read past blog posts about the Sage Perspective and the 10 Saboteurs, start here.
*Source: Shirzad Chamine and his Positive Intelligence mental fitness model. Erin completed her certification with Shirzad and Positive Intelligence, Inc. in the spring of 2021 and is now a Certified Positive Intelligence mental fitness coach (CPQC).
