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Spiritual Intelligence

Why Spiritual Intelligence?

 

Never heard of it , you may say? Why would it be important? Good questions!

Not that long ago, the only intelligence that was given any credence was good old IQ. We were all graded on that to see how smart we were. Smart people did well and had a great life, earned lots of money, lived happily ever after…….

Gradually, people  became aware that maybe this wasn’t entirely the case.  ‘Bright’ kids did drop out or go off the rails.

The concept of intelligence was broadened when Howard Gardiner talked of multiple intelligences and Daniel Goleman brought the idea of emotional intelligence (EQ) to life in the ‘90s. It is now well accepted that skills in this area can make a big difference in how we interact with others and understand ourselves.

Spiritual Intelligence takes the story one step deeper. Steven Covey articulated it well saying “Spiritual intelligence is the central and most fundamental of all the intelligences, because it becomes the source of guidance for the others”

Cindy Wigglesworth, who created the Spiritual Intelligence assessment tool (SQ21)  defines Spiritual Intelligence as “the ability to act with wisdom and compassion, while maintaining inner and outer peace, regardless of the circumstances”

Don’t know about you, but the concept of maintaining outer AND inner peace sounds pretty damn good to me! Many people learn the skills of maintaining outer peace whilst inside is anything but! This imbalance is unhealthy – our bodies and nature all aim for balance. Homeostasis is the technical term. This inner and outer imbalance shows up in varied ways – maybe eventually the pressure valve lets go with a bang and casualties usually occur! Or it eats away internally in us and personal health suffers.

By learning about your own Spiritual Intelligence capacity, you can begin  to understand your own innate strengths and identify unconscious patterns that may not be serving you well. You also come to understand how you make meaning of your life and see how your view of the world impacts on your daily life.

The results are empowering in all aspects of your life – personal and professional, family and community. We are all born with Spiritual Intelligence capacity and we can grow that.  Just as you nurture your physical body, caring and growing the spirit helps you truly flourish.Spiritual Intelligence

 

Nikki Thompson is a personal and business coach who works with the SQ21 assessment tool. She can be contacted at nikki.a.thompson@bigpond.com and her website and blog is www.innercirclework.com.au

 

Nikki and her husband Peter are regular guests at Atmanjai and hope to run a retreat here in 2014, called ‘Roar to Raw’ – a journey of transformation. For more information about this please contact Nikki.a.thompson@bigpond.com .

spiritual intelligence

 

Photo Credit: neuvision via Compfight cc

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