Positive Intelligence (Part 3) - The Impact

Let me tell you about my time in the PQ Program, an app-based 6-week program that includes a combination of weekly videos, the Positive Intelligence audiobook, daily exercises, and a weekly meeting with other PQ Program participants.  Disclaimer: I am now a PQ Coach who leads participants through this program!

In the past year, I journaled many times that I had to expand my network, finding mentors, collaborators, and professional connections in my industry.  Many times, I stopped myself for whatever reason, leaving me alone to painfully struggle through this journey of building my business.  

I was getting a bit frustrated with myself - I would often hesitate to reach out to people out of not wanting to bother them or to think they would think I'm desperate or a waste of time. I would bury myself in a whole set of other activities that were not important to justify to myself why I wouldn't reach out to people or even compile a list of contacts I should reach out to.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon a grant program for coaches to train in Positive Intelligence.  You can read more about Positive Intelligence in this blog post or at their website, PositiveIntelligence.com.  

I had already done my Saboteur Assessment - my PQ score was a 60 (below the 75 threshold, which says my mind is working harder against me than for me), and my top 2 accomplice saboteurs are the Pleaser and Restless.  These saboteurs made a lot of sense to me - the pleaser in me was always asking what would make others happy and think positively of me; and the restless was always looking for ways to distract myself and turn away from tasks I wanted to avoid (yes, Avoider was another one of my strong saboteurs).

A week before the program started, I began to use the Positive Intelligence app.  Immediately upon doing PQ reps (think bicep curls for your mind), I already felt the boost in mood, focus, and energy.  This was all before I even started - at this point, I’m really excited!

With the program came instructional videos and the audiobook which helped me understand the “PQ operating system”, which identifies 3 mental muscles to build: 

1. Saboteur Interceptors - the ability to realize, and stop, one of your saboteurs from hijacking your mind

2. Self Command - or building PQ Brain muscles - which is strength to withstand challenges in our lives because our minds 

3. Sage Powers - our ability to empathize, explore, innovate, navigate, and activate to live the life we truly want

Every week of the program, we had videos, daily challenges, the PQ reps gym, and then a pod of people to reflect on the learning and growth.  Together, this suite of activities built up our mental muscles, and the results kept coming week after week.

Week 1 was an enthusiastic beginning, trying out the "PQ Gym" by doing PQ reps, little exercises that build up your PQ brain and leave you calm and focused.

Weeks 2 and 3, I worked harder daily to reprogram my Judge saboteur, re-thinking past times my judge got the best of me, and planning for when my judge might hijack me in the future.  

For example, I thought about a past time I judged myself for going out on a Saturday night and then not being in a state to do work I committed to doing on a Sunday. I thought about how that situation was instead a gift - that I got to enjoy a night with my friends and gave myself the gift of rest on Sunday.

I also anticipated that my Judge would be loud if I didn't finish all the PQ activities in a day. I envisioned giving myself patience and grace, and starting fresh the next day. I could always do a little more one day to make up for some lost time another day.

This reduced self-judgment reduced stress and gave me the gift of peace and being present, as well as not having a "might as well give up" attitude towards the program.

Weeks 4, 5, and 6 taught me to recognize how to use my Sage powers (empathize, explore, innovate, navigate, and activate) more often in my everyday life.  

The week on Empathize taught me how to be kind, compassionate, and patient with myself.  I learned to apply the same love and empathy I have when looking at a picture of myself as a little boy, knowing I am the same loveable human right now.  

The week on Navigate helped me think through some big decisions, including on making investments in my coaching business and in making recommendations for my consulting clients.  

The week on Activate helped me use my intuition and energy to seize opportunities, especially at networking and social events.  I also took the initiative to research free summer events all around New York from Brooklyn to the Bronx, and landed myself a date!  

By the end of the 6-week program, I can confidently say I grew my capacity to: 

• Stay calm and relieve stress quickly

• Enjoy and engage more with the present moment 

• Quiet voices of pressure and judgment of myself 

I went to a music festival on Governor’s Island (picture below) with a few friends visiting from town end of May, and one friend said to me, “Chris, you just look refreshed and happy.”  

She was right. When you know what matters, when you can turn anything into a gift, when you can remove the pressure of more more more, when you can enjoy the journey and celebrate small steps of progress, then life is but an inevitable road toward more fulfillment, connection, and joy.

I hope you feel inspired and curious to do the PQ Program, which I will be facilitating as a PQ Coach! If you're curious to learn more, let's chat!

For Learning and With Love,

Chris