QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If you’re mentally fit, you can handle life’s great challenges without mental stress or other negative emotions.”
– Dr. Shirzad Chamine, Author of Positive Intelligence
IDEA OF THE DAY
As a coach, I’m always searching for mental tools and habit-building strategies to help my clients achieve their goals. I enjoy testing these techniques on myself to gain firsthand experience and see what works—and what might need fine-tuning.
Recently, I enrolled in a 7-week course called the PQ Coaching Program, created by Shirzad Chamine. The program emphasizes that, just as we go to the gym to strengthen our bodies, it’s essential to build a foundation of mental fitness. This process shifts the balance of power from our inner saboteurs (negative self-talk) to our inner sage (positive self-talk).
I’ve been enjoying these new tools and insights, and I want to share a glimmer of them with you, should you find them useful. Today, we’ll focus on the concept of “saboteurs.” Next week, we’ll explore how to counteract them with something called ‘PQ Reps’ and invite your Sage self into the conversation.
As shared by Shirzad:
“Saboteurs are the voices in your head that generate negative emotions as you handle life’s everyday challenges. They represent the automatic patterns in your mind for how to think, feel, and respond. Your Saboteurs cause all of your stress, anxiety, self-doubt, frustration, restlessness, and unhappiness. They sabotage your performance, well-being, and relationships. The Judge is loudest of all, the one that beats you up repeatedly over mistakes or shortcomings, warns you obsessively about future risks, wakes you up in the middle of the night worrying, gets you fixated on what is wrong with others or your life, etc.”
Each of us has different levels of the following saboteurs:
- Avoider
- Controller
- Hyper-Achiever
- Hyper-Rational
- Hyper-Vigilant
- Pleaser
- Restless
- Stickler
- Victim
But Joyna, why is this even important to look at, and why now?
Two reasons, my dear friend!
First, catching your challenging thoughts—your saboteurs—builds awareness of how you operate. In fact, saboteurs are inner strengths that have been overused. Recognizing when you’re judging, people-pleasing, or feeling restless offers clues that something is off and needs your attention to bring this strength back into a balanced state.
Secondly, supporting yourself with a strong mental foundation and radical self-care gives you the energy to handle the world around you—whether it’s processing the news, dealing with challenging people, or managing your inner reality.
So for today, consider taking the Saboteur Quiz– I’m curious to hear which one ends up being your top one!
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What self-care practices currently support my mental well-being?