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We’re living in a time where life is sped up and with most of us living in a safe environment and not feeling threatened by nature, we have more psychic energy available to concentrate on achieving personal and professional success.
However this fast pace of life means we expect things immediate results. If you haven’ t responded to a tweet or an email that you got the same day then people think something is wrong with you. We live in a time where we can get food in a minute, abs in three minutes a day and a Ph D degree is only a credit card away. When it comes to creating the life we desire, sure it would be great to do that in a week. But if we could truly change our life in seven days, then surely everyone would be doing it. But much like the cheese advertisement tells us, good things take time. In our hectic lifestyle, very few of us take the time to self-reflect, yet this is crucial for us to know if the path we’re on is actually one we want to be taking. We need to make time to develop our knowledge of ourselves, not at a superficial level, but below the surface. In short we need to increase our Self Intelligence.
Defining Self Intelligence is simple enough – it’s made up two components; self-awareness and self-management. Over the years Self Intelligence has been called different things – personal mastery, intrapersonal intelligence, and self-leadership to name a few. The first component of Self Intelligence, self-awareness, is about better understanding your thoughts, emotions, behaviours and capabilities. This concept has been around for many centuries. The Temple of Delphi stated it simply as ‘Know Thyself.’ However awareness is not enough, we must learn the skills and tools to manage these areas so that we can positively adapt to the constant change life throws at us. The polymath Goethe told us that “knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Wise words indeed but then again, this was the man who said that if he knew himself, he’d run away. We must apply ourselves to the self-managing component of Self Intelligence. And this is the challenging part; not defining Self Intelligence but developing it.
Most people feel that they do know themselves. “Come on,” they say, “I’m with me 24/7 – of course I know myself.” And to some level, they do. But it’s mostly at a surface level, a conscious level. Most of the parts that make the ‘self’ up, work at an unconscious level. Our core values, our strongest beliefs, the things that drives us daily, our self-esteem, our emotional triggers, our memory system, our creative intelligence that feeds our imagination all bubble away beneath the surface of our consciousness.
Most of us have had the experience of wanting to stop or start a particular habit, whether it be exercising more, eating better, stop smoking, controlling our temper more effectively, yet while consciously we know we should or shouldn’t do these things, we can’t seem to help ourselves. The things that drive us unconsciously beat the logical and rational mind every time. There’s that gap between the knowing and the doing and we don’t seem to be able to make that step across. And yet, if we bridge that gap, then we can enjoy a success and fulfillment in all areas of our life, personal and professional. So that’s why we need to actively take time to self-reflect on what it is that moves us.
Former rugby great Sir Brian Lochore once said better people make better All Blacks and indeed, better individuals with a stronger sense of self have the confidence and courage to be themselves rather than present a façade of someone they’re not. A holistic look at your life is necessary to make lasting change. For example, there’s no point looking at how to improve your creativity if you’re not paying attention to the quality of food you eat, your sleep patterns and the amount of exercise you do. If you’re going to look at setting goals then make sure you’ve clarified your values and have a positive inner voice that spurs you on to meet them.
More than ever, we need to be resilient because those who are can adapt to the constant turbulence that has become the standard environment at work and all too often at home as well. We often know what to do to create those positive changes in our life, but sometimes in order to make it a reality, we just need that jolt!
Wade Jackson
Wade Jackson is the author and co-founder of JOLT Challenge, the Self Intelligence experience. The book and 9-week personal development program has received international critical acclaim from business leaders, academia and sports stars alike. Check www.joltchallenge.com for the next JOLT Challenge public program dates.
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