Positive Intelligence: Summary
Shirzad Chamine, a Stanford lecturer and former CEO of the Coaches Training Institute, argues that most of our stress and underperformance comes from our own mind working against us. He names the culprits, the Judge and its nine accomplice Saboteurs, and sets against them the Sage, with five powers: Empathize, Explore, Innovate, Navigate and Activate. The method is mental fitness: catch the Saboteur, shift to the Sage, and strengthen that shift with ten-second "PQ reps" of physical attention.
- Shirzad Chamine
- 2012
- 8 min read
- 8 key takeaways
- 8 ways to apply it
Key takeaways from Positive Intelligence
The ideas readers on HourLife upvote the most, in order.
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1
The Judge is the master Saboteur, and it finds fault with you, with other people, and with your circumstances.
Everyone has a Judge; it is the one Saboteur Chamine treats as universal. Notice which of its three targets it prefers in you. The voice that says "you blew it" and the one that says "they always do this" are the same voice.
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2
Every Saboteur sells a lie: that it is there to help you.
The Stickler says perfection is responsible, the Pleaser says it is being kind, the Hyper-Vigilant says it is keeping you safe. That is why they last. Write down the lie your strongest Saboteur tells, and next to it the cost of believing it.
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3
Your PQ is the share of time your mind is serving you rather than sabotaging you.
Positive Intelligence Quotient is a ratio, not a talent. Chamine puts the tipping point at a PQ of about 75, where the pull of the Sage starts to outweigh the Saboteurs. You raise it by catching Saboteurs sooner and spending longer in the Sage.
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4
A PQ rep is ten seconds of full attention on a physical sensation.
Rub two fingers together, feel your breath, listen to the farthest sound: ten seconds of that is one rep. It quiets the Saboteurs and exercises the part of the brain the Sage runs on. Hang reps on things you already do, like washing your hands.
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5
The Sage sees every outcome as something that can be turned into a gift or an opportunity.
This is the Sage perspective, and it is a choice, not a denial that things went wrong. After a setback, ask what this makes possible that was not possible before, and write down three answers.
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6
Labelling a Saboteur as it speaks takes away much of its power.
"That's my Controller" puts a little distance between you and the thought. You stop arguing with it as if it were the truth and start treating it as a habit of mind. Say the name, then do a rep.
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7
Empathize first, with yourself as much as anyone else.
Empathize is the first of the five Sage powers, and the Judge hates it most. One of Chamine's exercises is to picture yourself as a child when your Judge attacks. Kindness toward yourself is not softness; it is what makes the next clear step possible.
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8
Navigate by what matters most to you, not by what feels most urgent.
The Navigate power asks you to look at a choice from the end: when you look back on this, what will you wish you had chosen? Use that flash-forward when the Restless or Hyper-Achiever Saboteur is pushing you to just do something.
How to apply Positive Intelligence
Turn the ideas into something you can do this week.
Find your top Saboteurs
Read the descriptions of all nine accomplices and mark the two or three that sound most like your inner voice. Ask someone close to you which they see.
Name your Judge
Give your Judge a name or a character so you can call it out quickly. A silly name works better than a serious one.
Write down the lie
For your strongest Saboteur, write the lie it tells you and the real cost of believing it, on one card you keep with you.
Pick three rep cues
Choose three things you do every day, such as making coffee, washing your hands or opening your laptop, and tie a ten-second PQ rep to each one.
Match a power to your hardest moment
Name the situation that sets off your Saboteurs most often and choose which Sage power you will try there next time.
Do PQ reps all day
Ten seconds of attention to one physical sensation, as often as you can remember. Build toward a hundred reps across the day.
Catch, label, shift
When you notice stress, say which Saboteur is speaking, do one rep, then ask which Sage power fits.
Close the day as the Sage
Each evening, take the hardest moment of the day and write how it could become a gift or an opportunity.
The Saboteur always speaks first. You get to decide who speaks second.
