Intelligence Is Overrated: What You Really Need To Succeed (adapted)

Keld Jensen, Contributor

Albert Einstein’s IQ was estimated at 160, Madonna’s is 140, and John F. Kennedy’s was only 119

IQ tests measure logical reasoning ability and technical intelligence.

BUT. . . .only 15% of your financial success and professional achievement is due to your IQ. 85% is due to your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. 

EQ, MQ, and BQ scores are as important as IQ scores in predicting success and professional achievement.

You should strengthen your:

• ·      EQ  = Emotional Intelligence
• ·      MQ = Moral Intelligence
• ·      BQ =  Body Intelligence

Their significance is far greater than IQ.

1. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

EQ is about staying aware of your own feelings and those of others.

• · Regulating your feelings and other people's feelings     
• · Expressing emotions that are appropriate to the situation     
• · Self-motivation    
• · Building relationships    

Top Tip for Improvement: First, become aware of your inner dialogue. (the Victim-Victimizer talk in your head) It helps to keep a journal of what thoughts fill your mind during the day. Stress can be a huge killer of emotional intelligence, so you also need to develop healthy coping techniques that can effectively and quickly reduce stress in a volatile situation.

2. MORAL INTELLIGENCE

MQ deals with your integrity, responsibility, sympathy, and forgiveness. The way you treat yourself is the way other people will treat you.

• ·      Keeping commitments
• ·      Maintaining your integrity
• ·      Being honest

Top Tip for Improvement: Make fewer excuses and take responsibility for your actions. Avoid little white lies. Show sympathy and communicate respect to others. Practice acceptance and show tolerance of other people’s shortcomings. Forgiveness is not just about how we relate to others; it’s also how you relate to and feel about yourself.

3. BODY INTELLIGENCE

BQ, or body intelligence, reflects what you know about your body, how you feel about it, and take care of it. Your body is constantly telling you things;

• ·      Do you listen to your body signals or ignore them?
• ·      Are you eating energy-giving or energy-draining?
• ·      Are you getting enough rest?
• ·      Do you exercise and take care of your body?

Your body intelligence absolutely affects your work because it largely determines your feelings, thoughts, self-confidence, state of mind, and energy level.

Top Tip For Improvement: At least once a day, listen to the messages your body is sending you about your health. Actively monitor these signals instead of going on autopilot. Good nutrition, regular exercise, and adequate rest are all key aspects of having a high BQ. Monitoring your weight, practicing moderation with alcohol, and making sure you have down time can dramatically benefit the functioning of your brain and the way you perform at work.

WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO SUCCEED

It doesn’t matter if you did not receive the best academic training from a top university. A person with less education who has fully developed their EQ, MQ, and BQ can be far more successful than a person with an impressive education who falls short in these other categories.

Yes, it is certainly good to be an intelligent, rational thinker and have a high IQ; this is an important asset. But you must realize that it is not enough. Your IQ will help you personally, but EQ, MQ, and BQ will benefit everyone around you as well. If you can master the complexities of these unique and often under-rated forms of intelligence, research tells us you will achieve greater success and be regarded as more professionally competent and capable.

WHICH TYPE OF INTELLIGENCE IS MOST IMPORTANT TO SUCCESS?

Emotional Intelligence - Being aware of your own feelings and those of others, regulating these feelings in yourself and others, using emotions that are appropriate to the situation, self-motivation, and building relationships.

Moral Intelligence - Integrity, responsibility, sympathy and forgiveness.

Body Intelligence - Your body intelligence largely determines your feelings, thoughts, self-confidence, state of mind, and energy level.

Emotional Intelligence, Moral Intelligence and Body Intelligence are all equally important.

Negative Emotions: The True Story

Negative emotions are normal. A daily part of life, they warn and often protect us. But negative emotions can also be dangerous and destructive. The difference depends on how long we allow them to hang around. 

NEGATIVE EMOTIONS: FRIEND OR FOE?    A negative emotion can warn a child to avoid a stranger. But if that child fails to understand his fear and begins to automatically fear anyone who is different, well, that’s another matter. Then fear is no longer a friend but an enemy. Failure to understand and let go of a negative emotion is the problem, not the emotion itself.

5 WAYS NEGATIVE EMOTIONS CAN HURT US     Negative emotions we hold onto hurt us in five major ways. First, they use up energy. Second, they lock in painful and distorted thoughts and mental pictures. Third, they can lead to unhelpful behaviors. Fourth, they keep us in conflict. Fifth, they can lower our immune system and our ability to fight off disease. As Woody Allen implied in a film, he didn't deal with his feelings, he stuffed them and grew a tumor instead.

WHAT TO DO?    What’s the answer? Simple enough. We must stay aware of our negative emotions, acknowledge them, and let go of them safely and appropriately. By "safely and appropriately" I mean without playing the victim or deliberately hurting others. This is a learned skill. We can train ourselves to do this.

I have been a counselor/therapist in private practice for twenty plus years, taught graduate students at George Washington University, and recently published my first book, Become the Person You Were Meant to Be - The Choice-Cube Method http://amzn.to/uHGKQ5I would love to share with you what I have learned about the skill of managing negative emotions. Visit my website www.choicecube.com.

An Interview With Dr. Cuje'

      

Go to Global Talk Radio (the link is below)         

Scroll down to January 27th (2012)

Click on "stream" or "download."

CLICK HERE to go to Global Talk Radio.

P.S. All feedback is appreciated.   

4 Proven Steps For Change

Hank was frustrated! He knew he should work things out with Franny, but he was so tired of arguing that he just did not want to make the effort. Trying to work things out with her seemed impossible. What about you? Has life ever seemed a battle between what you knew you should do and what you were willing to do? Have you ever felt you were losing the battle and that there was no way to resolve an issue? 

ONLY THREE CHOICES    The truth is that in every situation you have only three kinds of choices. And everything depends on the choice you make. You can try to avoid an issue. That's what Hank was doing. You can try to control it (use anger or try harder with no good results) or change and successfully resolve it.

It’s only natural to want to avoid or control an issue. Who wants to tangle with a snarling dog? But trying to avoid or control a snarling boss can lead to bigger and nastier problems. Problems start when we fail to resolve issues and get stuck trying to avoid or control them inappropriately.

Here's a important thought. With each choice we make, we program ourselves!

4 SIMPLE STEPS FOR CHANGE     If we choose to take responsibility for what we think, feel, want, and do, we begin to change the only thing we can change. . .ourselves. Let's look at the following 4 steps that can help us make important changes and solve problems.          

STEP 1:  We recognize when, instead of wanting to resolve an issue win-win, we try to avoid it (go shopping, dump on a friend, just give up) or control it (be right, no compromise).

STEP 2:  We manage our stress and express our emotions appropriately.

STEP 3:  We think more clearly now because we have dealt with out stress and negative emotions. Now, we can see the pros and cons of the situation and focus on finding a solution to the problem instead of focusing on the problem itself.

STEP 4:   We do something different and take honest, compassionate action.

THE CHOICE-CUBE METHOD CAN HELP    You may want to look at the Choice-Cube Method’s tools and 4 key steps as one way to make wise choices and changes. The method is found in my book, Become the Person You Were Meant To Be - The Choice-Cube Method:  Step by Step to Choice and Change. Click here to see inside the book. 

From Victim-Victimizer to Psychologically Healthy to Spiritually Awake

From Victim-Victimizer To Psychologically Healthy To Spiritually Awake

Do you realize that you are on a life-time journey from shadow to light. Daily, even moment-to-moment, this journey challenges you to become the best you can be---the person you were meant to be. 

On this “journey of life,” there are tasks along the way.  Check yourself. First, do you react to life as a victim or victimizer? As victims we see others as trying to fix, hurt, or control us. As victimizers, we seek to fix, hurt, or control others.

Sometimes we get stuck as we swing between the two. 

Next task? Your challenge it to become psychologically healthy. You have learned to stay out of the victim-victimizer swing. You no longer try to inappropriately avoid problems or to control them by blaming and criticizing others. Now, are you willing to take full responsibility for what you think, feel, and do? Are you willing to look for the truth—see the big picture with compassion--as a way to resolve problems? Do you believe that honesty and kindness are necessary for win-win problem-solving? 

If yes, now you can you focus on changing the one 
person you can change, yourself! 

On your journey, you have left the victim-victimizer swing behind. You have become increasingly psychologically healthy and empowered. You have made it this far, you're doing great! Here's a final step. Are you ready to recognize that you are more than a body, emotions, thoughts, and desires. Are you ready and willing to awaken spiritually and find God, the "Divine," or your Higher Power--a power greater than yourself? 

On this last part of your journey, there is great promise. Regardless of your ups and downs, losses and gains, you can increasingly live in the light and become the person you were meant to be. Perhaps my book, Become the Person You Were Meant to Be, could help you on your journey. Click here to see inside the book.