Today’s blog will be the final post in the Positive Intelligence® series we’ve covered over the past two months and show you how you can effectively combat self-doubt.
If you haven’t read all or any of the other blog posts, I recommend you do so before reading on, as they provide valuable insights into the topics we’ll be covering today.
You can find the links to those posts below:
- Part 1 (Why Positive Intelligence® is so Important for Leaders)
- Part 2 (The Key to Positive Thinking – Your Sage)
- Part 3 (Using Positive Intelligence® to Manage Your Self-Judgement)
We’ll be looking at your saboteurs in the final part of this series. The most crucial aspect of Positive Intelligence® is identifying and managing these saboteurs to prevent yourself from falling into the same cycle of negative thinking.
So, what exactly are saboteurs?
Your Saboteurs and Self-Doubt
Saboteurs are the negative voices in your head that arise throughout the day. They have protected you most of your life, yet at a point in time, they get in your way and create self-doubt, stress, frustration, etc. Saboteurs attack your overall well-being and cause you to fall further into the cycle of negativity.
This conversation may sound like what we discussed in part 3 of this series, the judge. The judge is your primary or # 1 saboteur, and everyone will have different saboteurs based on their personality, upbringing, etc. The judge, however, is the universal saboteur that afflicts everyone, and the judge activates your other saboteurs through negative thinking.
See, that’s why it’s so important to read the earlier parts of the series.
Now it’s important to note that there are nine primary saboteurs:
- Avoider
- Controller
- Hyper-Achiever
- Hyper-Rational
- Hyper-Vigilant
- Pleaser
- Restless
- Stickler
- Victim
It’s also essential that you identify which of these are more prevalent in your individual life. To do that, I recommend taking the assessment found here.
Once you’ve identified which saboteurs are behind your stress, restlessness, or unhappiness, you can work on overcoming them or, more precisely, dealing with them.
They will never entirely vanish, but there are methods we can use to ensure they never retake hold of our minds. Let’s take a look at what these are.
Controlling Self-Doubt
To overcome your saboteurs and eliminate the adverse effects they cause, you need to spend time building three mental muscles.
- Your Saboteur-Interceptor Muscle
- Self-Command Muscle
- Your Sage Muscle
Saboteur-Interceptor
Your saboteur-interceptor muscle is the first line of defense. If you find yourself beginning to have negative thoughts or your stress increases, that’s because your saboteurs are sneaking up on you, preparing to attack.
Your saboteur-interceptor muscle helps you realize when your saboteurs are invading your mental space and works to deflect them (sort of a preemptive strike) before they can grab hold of your mind.
This process is much easier if you’ve identified which saboteurs to be on the lookout for. Once you notice the stories your saboteurs ask you to create self-doubt, it’s easier when prepared.
Self-Command Muscle
Your self-command muscle is the part of your brain that quiets your saboteurs and works to activate your sage (discussed in part 2).
You can strengthen this muscle through PQ Reps, which involves the thoughtful process of holding your attention on your body and one of your senses for 10 seconds at a time. To learn more about about PQ Reps, click here.
When you prove to yourself that you’re in control, and you won’t allow your mind to succumb to any of your saboteurs.
Sage Muscle
Once you’ve completed your PQ reps, your sage brain will become active. Once you activate your Sage brain, you will better equip yourself to deal with adversity or triggers.
Your sage is the part of the brain that handles problems with a level-headed outlook. It helps maintain a sense of calm, decrease stress, and relay information efficiently so you’re better prepared to respond to the problem at hand.
Spend more time doing PQ reps, and you’ll notice it’s easier to reach this point of sage feelings.
Maintain Awareness
As I mentioned earlier, your saboteurs are never entirely defeated, and they may be lurking right now. The best way to stop them is by maintaining our awareness regarding our thoughts and practicing with your PQ reps.
These lurking saboteurs can be very challenging, and often I find myself drifting towards the same negative cycle.
It can help if you begin this journey of conquering your Judge and Saboteurs with the guidance of someone experienced in practicing Positive Intelligence®.
That’s where I can help.
If you’re looking to improve your Positive Intelligence® to manage negative thoughts better, decrease stress or improve productivity, please reach out on LinkedIn.
Or, if you’d prefer to meet me face-to-face, I offer a free 25-minute consultation call. Let me show you the way.
