Paul Stoltz, PhD, researcher in the field of adversity quotients, and best selling author off ” Adversity Quotient” , wrote about sustainable optimism a few years ago. In a far-ranging essay, he describes how we cope with adversity in our professional and private lives. He said:
There are three components to human capacity:
1) required capacity, 2) existing capacity, and 3) accessed capacity.
Required capacity is the amount of capacity that is demanded from a person as they encounter greater adversity in their jobs and lives. Existing capacity is what people have when they begin a job, when they are hired. It consists of their experience, aptitudes, knowledge, talents everything.
Accessed capacity is what a person taps what they actually use. Most people actually access (tap and use) between 5% and 25% of their existing capacity.
However, Stoltz noted, when adversity intensified, people’s ability to cope with it decreased, when it needed to do the opposite. This paradox has been subject to study in the field off cognitive sciences, and some effective tools have been devised to address some of these paradoxes.
Imagine if a number of external stimuli you encounter each day throws up an adverse scenario. Research shows that this has doubled from 5 -6 to 13 daily. Each adverse scenario creates a mind-body state; often one that does not help the situation e.g. fear and loathing.
Try this technique. Access an emotional state in the past which, for you, is the opposite to the present state e.g. peacefulness. Access it completely; meaning you need to recall this state as a perfect past mind-body experience. Focus on the breathing and heart rate you might have had, the smells the sights of where you were at when you were immersed in this state of e.g. peacefulness. If you are lucky, you might have had a tune or song, to powerfully draw you back to a strong memory-mind-body state. This is an anchor. Anchors can be created. Create one that is simple but unique to your desired state. Triggering the positive state anchor can provide a powerful mix of states that is likely to reduce the intensity or toxic effect of the present, undesired state. ” Fear” can be changed to ” peaceful fear” or ” calm fear” or a combination of complex states. With practice, your powerful positive states can be brought to bear and transform unproductive states.
Some of these techniques will be demonstrated and acquired by participants of the WITHOUT LIMITS programme Dec 7 – 8; a powerful self-leadership programme.