Photo courtesy of Jano Kray

Hi and Welcome back!

Is it just me or does the speed and volume of change and chaos in the world seem to be increasing exponentially? I am finding that I need to spend about twice as much time doing the things that help me maintain my sense of well-being and peace as I used to.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I think that the biggest challenge for us in times of tremendous uncertainty and change is maintaining an optimistic state of mind, which is truly the only way we get OUT of any crazy-zone.

There is a theory of change (Lewin’s Theory) that says that we go through times when things are frozen (status quo), then they unfreeze (all hell breaks loose…that would be now) and then they re-freeze (back to status quo). The silver bullet  in this model is when things unfreeze and all hell is breaking loose because that is exactly what will catalyze creative problem solving and evolution.

Question: How do we live through it without feeling angry, frustrated, cynical or worse, apathetic?

One Answer: Develop/Deepen our Spiritual Intelligence or yes, Bring Back That Lovin Feeling ( It’s the name of a song from the 60’s…yes I was alive then….)

What Is Spirituality and Spiritual Intelligence?  It’s LOVE

Spirituality is the innate human need to connect with something larger than ourselves. It has a vertical dimension of connection to the divine and timeless universal truths, and, it has a horizontal dimension which is connection to each other and to the planet within a covenant of service

Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) is the ability to behave with wisdom (the most elevated state of mind) and compassion (the most elevated state of the heart), while maintaining inner and outer peace, regardless of the circumstances. So, in essence, Spiritual Intelligence is acting with love.

Who Do You Admire?

Who are some of the people you think of when you think of those who act with love regardless of the circumstances? I think of Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and others.

Some of the common traits  we recognize in spiritual people such as these are humility,  courage, they are inspirational, they see the gifts inside other people and help them develop, they are calm, centered, forgiving and authentic.

I became introduced to this notion of Spiritual Intelligence at the Conscious Capitalism Conference in May of this year. There, I met Cindy Wigglesworth, the owner of Conscious Pursuits Inc., and developer of the first validated and faith-neutral assessment instrument that defines and measures 21 proven competencies that make up spiritual intelligence.

Cindy and I have both worked with the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Assessment in our respective coaching and organization development practices and many of you may be familiar with this work. (If not, a must read: “Working With Emotional Intelligence” Daniel Goleman) Cindy’s SQ model partners very nicely with Emotional Intelligence and both are critical  for all who endeavor to live a fulfilled and conscious life in an ever-changing global world!

Similar to the Goleman/Boyatzis EQ assessment, the SQi is broken into 4  sequential quadrants:

1. Higher Self / Ego self Awareness
2. Universal Awareness (awareness of interconnectedness, etc)
3. Higher Self / Ego self Mastery
4. Spiritual Presence / Social Mastery

A Way To Develop Spiritual Intelligence

There are 4 types of intelligence:

1. Physical
2. Intellectual
3. Emotional
4. Spiritual  

Spiritual Intelligence, just like each of the others, must be developed in order for us to achieve our highest potential. The best way to develop any skill is first to take measure of where we are, then, determine where we want to be, and finally, put a plan in place to fill the gap and achieve our goals. Sounds a lot like a thing I do called coaching. 🙂

The Spiritual Intelligence assessment (SQi) is what measures where we are. It will help you:

• Assess your current level of Spiritual Intelligence or “SQ”
• Learn the 21 skills of Spiritual Intelligence
• Discover the next steps to further develop your Spiritual Intelligence

This is an online tool that takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. After completion you receive your report via email.  The report is about 20 pages in length and will give you a numeric rating on your current level of skill achievement on all 21 skills of spiritual intelligence. In addition, you will receive some suggested “next steps to consider” to help you develop your SQ skills.  

I believe that this tool can be very effective in helping us maintain a greater sense of wisdom, compassion and peace as we all navigate these challenging times.  

Now through September 15^th I’d like to have as many of you who are interested have the opportunity to take this assessment so I am offering a couple of discounted options.   

For $359 you can take the SQi plus have two 45 minute coaching sessions with me. The first session will focus on understanding your results and the second will focus on developing a customized plan for furthering your spiritual intelligence.

If you prefer to just take the assessment with no coaching, you can do so for $80

After Sept 15^th the assessment price will return to the ongoing rate of $99

If this sounds interesting to you or you have any questions you want to bounce around, please call or email sheila.madden@maddencoaching.com. (831) 277-4919

In the meantime, breathe deeply and remember that together we have the power to unleash astonishing creativity, problem solving and LOVE to make the world we share the best it can be.  

Information in this article regarding the definition of  Spirituality and the SQi is used by permission. 2000-2009 Conscious Pursuits, Inc. All Rights Reserved