It’s all about focus…

“The most successful people I know are not busy. They’re focused.” Jeff Goins

I meet a lot of people who tell me they like to work hard and play hard. I always ask them this question “What makes them feel this is so important?”

Telling people you’re too busy because you are working hard isn’t a badge of honour!

It is however the trap that many of us fall into, the belief that hard work is the only way forward. In fact many organisations almost insist on it

Yet if we are always working flat out with a full on schedule, how can we  take time to be Conscious about what is actually happening around us and Conn3ct with it in the now?

How we spend our days is how we spend our life and I choose to be focused rather than busy

When we are busy, it can feel like we are on autopilot

When we are focused, our mind can see the bigger picture and create new ways to make tangible progress toward our goals, this is when the magic happens

Working hard often doesn’t get you a pay rise or respect from colleagues, and being at a company the longest or doing overtime won’t automatically get you that promotion either

Tangible progress often will

So it’s your choice: work hard or focus?

To conn3ct with Paul and understand how Conscious Conn3ctions can help you find your focus please use the form below

IQ, EQ, SQ and an Orange…

Whenever I get asked about the difference between IQ (Intellectual intelligence – HEAD), EQ (Emotional intelligence – HEART) and SQ (Spiritual intelligence – WISDOM).

I often refer to Danah Zohar’s description below

Our intellectual or rational intelligence is what we use to solve logical or strategic problems. Psychologists devised tests for measuring it and these became the means for scoring people into degrees of intelligence, known as their intelligence quotient or IQ., that could allegedly signpost their abilities. The higher a persons IQ, the theory went, the higher their intelligence

EQ gives us our awareness of our own and other peoples feelings. It gives us empathy, compassion, motivation and the ability to respond appropriately to pain or pleasure. As Daniel Goleman pointed out, EQ is a basic requirement for the effective use of IQ

The full picture of human intelligence can be completed with a discussion of our spiritual intelligence or SQ. By SQ I mean the intelligence with which we address and solve problems of meaning and value, the intelligence with which we can place our actions and our lives in a wider, richer, meaning giving content, the intelligence with which we can assess that one course of action or one life path is more meaningful than another. SQ is the necessary foundation for the effective functioning of both IQ and EQ. It is our ultimate intelligence.

So that is the scientific explanation and since many of us are not scientists I have a real world example for you….

Two children come to a parent asking for them to sort a problem, in fact it is an argument over an orange. There is only one and both children want it

Using their IQ the parent says, “Since you can’t stop arguing I will take the orange away”, believing that this will stop the argument by removing the source of it and the children will soon find something else to argue over anyway!

Using their EQ the parent recognises that there is a way everyone gets something from this situation and they cut the orange in half giving both children one half each. The children are happy and the parent gets some peace for a while

Using SQ the parent becomes inquisitive and asks what each child chooses to do with the orange. One child says they will make marmalade and they require the rind to give it the bitter sweet taste they love. The other child is thirsty and a drink of orange juice would quench their thirst. Thus the first child grates the orange peel before the second squeezes the juice. In this way both children get twice as much as before, the parent deepens the bond with their children and encourages them to discuss problems and differences  instead of arguing, which may also lead to less refereeing in the future

Each and every one of us has access to SQ and yet we may forget to use it and as the saying goes “if you don’t use it you lose it”

Imagine how Consciously Conn3cting with your SQ could help you in both your personal life and at work

To understand more about how it could work for you use the form below to Conn3ct with Paul