Spiritual quotient (SQ) is the intelligence involved in questions about the meaning of life and ultimate values. It is a term used by psychologists and developmental theorists to indicate spiritual parallels with IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Quotient).
Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall on their pioneering book SQ: Connecting With Our Spiritual Intelligence describe SQ as our most fundamental intelligence. It is what we use to develop our capacity for meaning, vision, and value. They further state that spiritual intelligence actually explores how accessing our SQ helps us to live up to our potential for better, more satisfying lives.
In today’s era that is filled with hatred and insensitivity, perhaps a drop of understanding about our own spiritual dimension would all do us some good. Here are 15 key areas to address, so you can fix them and live a better life.
Bad habits
This may include behavior, attitudes or addictions such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, gambling, or pleasuring your senses to the exclusion of rationality. Learn to let go of whatever is not impacting your life with constructive development.
Unrealistic materialistic goals
This includes trying to reach goals that are only to please others or prove a point. Pursuing goals should be a learning adventure that promotes your own growth.
Clutter
Living in clutter actually creates mental and emotional disorganization and chaos. Let go of the urge to accumulate unnecessary material acquisition and learn to live with fewer possessions.
Read also: learn to de-clutter.
Dysfunctional behavior patterns
If you feel like your life makes no progress, it is evident that your dysfunctional behavior is not addressed. It is necessary to be willing to let go of or to change your behavior pattern that is limiting positive progress.
Control issues
Learn to let go of trying to control others or to control circumstances surrounding you, because ultimately this is a waste of your own energy resources. When dealing with others, it is better to compromise and to strike a healthy balance in all situations.
Unhealthy relationships or situations
This does not only apply in romantic relationship but any relationship, including family, friend or workmate, that does not provide free-will or prevents you from developing your own personal power.
Stubbornness
Whether you are right or wrong, this is when your head becomes as hard as a stone and refuse to compromise or give in. But the effect alienates people from you and prevents development of positive relationship. Letting go of this behavior will enable you to become more tolerant, more accommodating, more patient, more loving, more balanced and more joyful.
Lack of awareness or focus
Those who hide their head in the sand are not just avoiding life, but are also sleeping through it and are not honoring their authentic self. Be willing to let go of living in the past or existing in a fog. Become fully aware and focus on the quality of your present life.
Emotional trauma
This can be created from experiencing distress relating from death of a loved one, divorce, life-threatening illness, loss of home and loss of employment, as well as war, poverty, or natural disaster conditions. It is important to mourn the loss or feel the pain, but then be willing to let it go by learning the lesson that it provides so that you can move forward in life.
Stress
Resist trying to do all and be all—let go and learn to delegate. It is important to take time out for relaxation, pamper yourself by doing things that you enjoy and that bring pleasure.
Read also: 25 de-stressing techniques
Financial ignorance
Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to your financial status. Pay attention to past financial mistakes and develop rational spending habits by learning to budget and developing fruitful investments strategies to prepare your future.
Read also: emotional spending and how to curb them.
Laziness
Nothing is achieved by doing nothing. Let go of your sluggish behavior. If you refuse to take action, nobody else will do it for you. Life is too short, and you only live once, so up you get and off you go!
Procrastination
Earthly existence is a very short journey, so it doesn’t help if you continuously put things off for a later date. You can always conjure up a million reasons to procrastinate, but you are not fooling anybody but yourself as time runs shorter. It is better if you learn to schedule your work and time into segment based on passionate interest and importance, but be sure to finish each before moving to the next.
Unreliable or irresponsible
Neither of these (along with laziness) traits will promote success. Those who blame others or circumstances for their failures are irresponsible for their own learning process. Those who are habitually late or play the game of no-show display an unreliable attitude and selfishness.
Lack of discipline
Resist trying to do all and be all-let go and learn to delegate. So if you want to succeed in transforming into joyfulness, then you will need to adopt discipline into your daily routine. Let go of disorderly routines that do not serve you well.
