Most people’s lives revolve around the external world. “We give priority to work, family, leisure and study,” said professional development trainor and workshop facilitator Yogesh Sharda.

“We jump from one activity to the other like a monkey swinging on different branches. When we get used to our roles and responsibilities, ego sets in.”

Sharda was raised in Oxford, Britain, and is the national coordinator of Brahma Kumaris Turkey, an international organization dedicated to personal change.

On coping

To cope with the pressures of life and emerge happy, spiritual intelligence is required, the most important of the many “intelligences.” It has the power to change lives.

The most common is rational intelligence, the use of logic or accumulation of information.

A higher form of intelligence is called intuitive capacity (IC), the inner voice of wisdom.

“However, most minds are full of information, useless things and memories of people’s mistakes. Where is the space to remember the useful things? This mental congestion gets in the way of being our true selves and accessing our intelligence,” said Sharda. “When the mind is chattering, it drowns out the voice of wisdom.”

He added that in daily life, we lose ourselves when we get lost in our responsibilities. “The soul suffers. When there is too much action, we forget the inner spiritual core,” he said.

This is when the intuitive capacity slackens and rational intelligence is lost when we become emotional.

When a person has an emotional outburst, after the anger subsides, the guilt sets in. “A bad mood is a sign that I am useless to myself and others,” said Sharda.

In a challenging world, people meditate to de-stress. Sharda clarified that beyond being just a form of mental relaxation, meditation is a lifestyle.

“It is built into your daily activities. You pay attention to your thoughts throughout the day. Am I thinking uselessly, negatively or remembering the things of the past? A meditator takes care of the mind like the person who watches what he eats and how he exercises,” he explained.

Work-life balance

Through meditation, the individual can still perform his roles, maintain work and relationships. “But the center of my life is Me. I can take care of myself.”

He likened the mind to technology. Just as computers are continually advancing, the thoughts must also be upgraded.

“Thought energy is valuable. Every time we make positive changes, we are upgrading our thoughts,” he said.

On the other hand, thoughts tend to be overspent on useless matters. “You’re in a lecture and you’re thinking, ‘What will I have for dinner? Or, we plan for the future or recycle the past. Those impact the use of the mind,” he said.

To manage thoughts, tap into the intuitive capacity, which filters the negative and waste thoughts. It slows down the speed of thoughts until you draw on your inner wisdom.

Manage your emotions

Then there’s the emotional quotient, the ability to understand and manage emotions and sense how others are feeling. “It’s only possible if you can manage your emotions,” he said.

Spiritual intelligence is a combination of emotional quotient and intuitive capacity. Two important factors, identity and purpose, make up for a high spiritual intelligence.

“Who am I? How do I see myself? What is the image of myself that I am carrying around all day? The question of ‘Who am I’ is an important question. It’s not your role and your responsibility, although the answer is revealed in how you handle people, praise and criticism,” said Sharda.

People tend to be vulnerable to comments because they have acquired layers of perceptions and beliefs. Through meditation, one realizes that the core of the soul is nothing but positive qualities.

“The call of the time is to bring inner growth as a priority. This the great stride forward,” said Sharda.

Sense of purpose

explains why we are living. “Why am I getting out of bed every day? How do I measure success? When my time is over, how would I define a successful life? Purpose is not invented. It’s been there. You have to detect it. People with high spiritual quotient are self-motivated. Their actions come from within.”

In contrast, people with low SQ execute today, then give up when there are difficulties. Then they start again. “This start-stop syndrome is coming from emotions,” said Sharda.

Spiritual motivation is born out of knowing the self and its purpose.

“Even if there are failures, they keep going. They are content despite the circumstances. It’s not dependent on a situation or people. This is a high state of mind. Your happiness and motivation are derived from inside. This enhances the value of the human being.”—CONTRIBUTED

Yogesh Sharda will hold a free lecture, “I Can,” on July 26, 6:30 p.m., at Cinema 1, Greenbelt 1, Makati. Call 8907960.