Maximizing potential, effectively communicating, and being an inspirational leader who brings out the best in other people takes a tremendous amount of mental strength. Mental strength is found in knowing ourselves, being able to use emotion productively, having the capacity for empathy and resonance with other people and possessing the power to recalibrate when plans go awry. This type of intrapersonal and interpersonal strength is reflected in five powers of the mind that can be developed by practicing an exercise called SIFTing (developed by Dr. Daniel Siegel).
To summarize, the mental strength we want to develop gives a person “psychological flexibility,” and this state is composed of the following five powers:
POWER #1: INSIGHT
Insight is an understanding of what we want-and why, how we feel-and why, and what we think-and why.
Have you ever mumbled to yourself, “I need something…but I don’t know what it is?!” or expressed to a loved one “you are driving me crazy…but I don’t know why!” Or have you ever been in a bad mood, waking up on the wrong side of the bed…but can’t figure out why you are so glum? When we express these sentiments, we lack insight. Insight is the power to know what we need and why, what we are feeling and why. When we know what we need or why we are feeling the way we are—then it is easier to resolve it or express it to another person. Things that are out of our awareness or understanding are outside of our control.
POWER #2: EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND FEAR MODULATION
The ability to deal with our emotions and fears in a productive way is emotional regulation and fear modulation.
Have you ever gotten stuck on a certain feeling—frustrated and not able to move past it, or anxious to the point where it is all you can focus on? Or have you ever let fear hold you back from pursuing your dreams? Emotions can be a liability when they hijack our lives but can also be a true asset if we can use them productively. Emotional regulation helps us use emotion as a motivating force towards action or connection, and fear modulation lets us proceed with caution without being limited by our fears.
POWER #3: RESPONSE FLEXIBILITY
The ability to be flexible in how we react to challenges and unexpecteds in the moment is response flexibility.
Have you ever dealt with a person who falls to pieces on the floor in front of you when events don’t go according to plan? This is the result of a lack of response flexibility. The ability to “roll with it” when adversity or obstacles pop up is a very valuable skill—because when does anything in life go according to plan? We start each day with a hypothesis, and then during the day we run an experiment to see how it will actually turn out. The same flexibility is needed in effective communication and collaboration with other people. An open, flexible stance mentally is essential in order to attune, collaborate, guide and inspire others, while leveraging relationships in daily life to increase success and satisfaction for the whole group.
POWER #4: EMPATHY, ATTUNED COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL INTUITION
Empathy and social intuition are the abilities to read other people and situations. Attuned communication is the power to accurately interpret what someone is conveying to you and is connected to empathy and social intuition.
Do you know people who have a really difficult time “reading between the lines” of social cues or subtle hints? Or people who are missing an empathy chip? Connecting with and understanding other people is an important part of effective management that seeks to inspire high performance both at home and in the workplace. We need to connect in order to redirect, if cooperation is the goal.
POWER #5: MORAL AWARENESS
The ability to see how our actions impact the world around us (moral awareness)
Have you ever encountered a person who doesn’t have a clue about how their actions are impacting other people around them? They go through life like a bull in a china closet, leaving a wake of frustration and annoyance behind them. When we have moral awareness, we are keenly tuned into how our actions impact others and the world around us in concentric circles outward.
When we possess all the powers of the mind, we have the ability to guide our own subjective experience—like the director of a movie. A director observes the scene, analyzes the contribution of the different actors (sensations, images, feelings and thoughts) and decides what to focus on, how to respond, and how it pushes the plot of the movie forward in the direction he/she wants it to go! When we possess the capacity to guide our own subjective experience, then we are better equipped to guide and inspire coworkers, friends, and family members.
A fully integrated mind and brain possesses these five powers of the mind. In the next post, we will discuss which parts of the mind and brain need to be integrated, along with a simple exercise that you can do to facilitate this integration. If you want a preview of the mental strengthening exercise, check out the SPECIAL EPISODE ON MENTAL STRENGTH on the FIVE TO THRIVE podcast!