How Positive Intelligence Builds Resilience From the Inside Out
What Is Positive Intelligence—and How Can It Shift Your Mindset?
As a Positive Intelligence (PQ) coach, I often find that the simplicity and power of this framework become even clearer the more I use it—not just with clients, but in my own life. At its core, Positive Intelligence is about building mental fitness: the ability to handle life’s challenges with greater resilience, clarity, and ease.
Positive Intelligence in a Nutshell
Developed by Shirzad Chamine, Positive Intelligence helps you identify and quiet your inner Saboteurs—those habitual negative thought patterns like the Judge, Controller, or Victim that often generate stress, fear, guilt, or self-doubt. These Saboteurs hijack your mind and push you into reaction rather than reflection.
The antidote? Cultivating your Sage perspective—the wiser, calmer part of your mind characterized by empathy, creativity, curiosity, and clear-headed action.
The Sage operates from the belief that every challenge contains a hidden opportunity or gift. In practice, this means that when something goes wrong, instead of spiraling into judgment or fear, you pause, center yourself, and ask:
“How can this setback be a gift or opportunity?”
This simple question helps shift your brain out of reactivity and into resourcefulness.
PQ Reps: Training Your Mental Muscles
Just like building physical strength, developing mental fitness requires regular practice. In PQ, we use short mindfulness-based exercises called PQ reps to strengthen the brain’s “Sage muscles.” These reps build your capacity to stay present, manage stress, and return to clarity quickly—even when life gets messy.
The app-based tools, available on both your computer and phone, make it easy to build a daily practice. These short, guided exercises help you develop the habit of tuning into your Sage voice, allowing you to shift toward a more positive, resilient mindset—one small step at a time.
As clients build this skill, they gradually spend more time in Sage mode and less time caught in Saboteur thinking. This shift is measured by your Positive Intelligence Quotient (PQ)—the percentage of time your mind is serving you rather than sabotaging you.
The Payoff: Presence, Perspective, and Purpose
Research and real-world results show that a higher PQ correlates with improved performance, better relationships, and greater well-being. But beyond the stats, it’s the internal shift that matters most:
You move from emotional reactivity into a grounded, resourceful state.
You gain tools to reframe challenges and approach life with more ease, focus, and flow.
You begin to see setbacks not as threats but as invitations to grow.
Ready to Strengthen Your Mental Fitness?
If you're curious about how Positive Intelligence could support your personal or professional growth, I invite you to book a complimentary discovery call. Let’s explore how, over time, you too can increase the time you spend in positive states—and learn to manage your perceptions with more clarity, ease, and confidence.
