Leverage the 4 Intelligences to Uncover Your Ikigai: Part 2

What if you were told that you could change the world? Now this might sound like it’s too good to be true, but it is real. The catch? In order to change the world, you must first change your world. 

First ask yourself: 

• What are my passions? 

• What are my skills? 

• How can I use these to help the world? 

• How can I use them to help my world? 

That is your Ikigai or “reason for being”, and each human being has variant degrees of the 4 Intelligences: The Intellectual Quotient, Adversity Quotient, Emotional Quotient, and Spiritual Quotient. 

Now at this part of our series, you are already familiar with the Intellectual Quotient, but let’s explore how Ikigai intersects with the Adversity Quotient (AQ)—the intelligence of understanding how your body communicates its needs.

Adversity Quotient (AQ): The Body

You fine tuned your Intellectual Quotient and now have the engine revved up and ready to go. But before we get rolling, we need to make sure the machinery that the engine is driving is in top notch condition.

The Adversity Quotient is like your body’s grit meter. It determines how unshakeable your body can be in the face of life’s inevitable plot twists. It’s not just about surviving the storm, but dancing in the rain.

Every challenge you face gives you the resilience to endure the next challenge life throws at you.

It is how you manage stress, maintain your energy, and rebound from setbacks that determines whether you thrive or merely survive. For third-culture individuals, this resilience is a superpower forged in the fires of cultural adaptation and constant reinvention.

It’s this blend of mental and physical fortitude that propels you toward your Ikigai, making you not just a survivor, but a trailblazer who does not turn away from obstacles, but rather uses them as opportunities to grow stronger.

Let’s Grow

Personal growth is a journey, but by growing your body’s resilience you can become invincible. This is your roadmap for growth:

• Self Grit Test: Take a hard look at how you handle stress and setbacks—think of it as a self-diagnostic for your inner strength. Maybe you could use more aerobic activities or maybe you could use more recovery; identify areas where you can amp up the effort. 

• Companionship in Resilience: Identify someone in your life who’s been through the trenches and came out swinging. Soak up their wisdom, learn their strategies, and implement these insights into your own life. 

• Their experiences are the cheat codes to navigating similar challenges you come across in your own life.

• Embrace Being Uncomfortable: Lean into the discomfort. Whether it’s tackling an activity that scares you or stepping into uncharted territory, every uncomfortable moment is a growth spurt waiting to happen.

  • The more you push those boundaries, the more you’ll expand your capacity to handle whatever life throws your way. 

Let’s Build

So you know a little bit about physical resilience, but how can you use it to progress as a leader? Use these techniques to turn your physical resilience into an unstoppable force: 

• Stress Resilience Conditioning: Introduce stress management techniques into your team’s daily routine. Lead mindfulness or breath work sessions before meetings, or organize team fitness challenges that promote physical and mental health. 

• By prioritizing well-being, you’ll create a culture that thrives under pressure.

• Challenge Drills: Regularly put yourself and your team in unfamiliar situations that require quick thinking and adaptability.

  • Whether it's through simulated crisis scenarios or rotating leadership roles, make sure you and your team have the collective ability to pivot and perform under stress. 

• Recovery Rituals: You know how to work hard, but do you know how to recover well? Model a balanced life by creating a personalized recovery routine.

  • This can include active rest techniques, like yoga or stretching, or deep relaxation techniques, such as baths or massages. 

• This can help prevent burnout by keeping your body rejuvenated and ready for any challenge!

Let’s Leverage

You’re already crushing it in the physical health department, but why stop at great when you can aim for legendary? Think of yourself as moving from a finely-tuned sports car to a Formula 1 racer… awesome right?

Here’s how you can push your boundaries and supercharge your ability to tackle adversity:

• Stress Management: Master the art of staying cool under pressure by trying out new techniques like breathwork (bonus points if you can incorporate it into your workouts!). 

• Picture yourself as the James Bond of stress management, and remember to keep the 3 C’s in mind: cool, calm and collected, no matter the chaos.

• Physical Health: Upgrade your routine by regularly throwing yourself into new environments, whether that be trying strength training, HIIT workouts, or pilates; just try to find something new that gives you a challenge but also brings you life. 

• Slow Down: Rest! While it is important to push your body’s limits, it is equally as important to let it recover. Incorporate low impact training and stretches to ensure your nervous system is balanced.

Mastering your body is like fine-tuning a high-performance car engine—it’s the powerhouse that gives you the strength and endurance to navigate life’s obstacles. Like an engine, it must be taken care of properly. It needs fuel. It needs rest. And most importantly, it needs to be used!

But mastering your emotions? That’s like being the driver behind the wheel. No matter how powerful the engine is, if the driver isn’t in control, the journey could get rocky. In leadership, it’s not enough just to have a well-oiled machine; you need the steady hands and sharp instincts to steer it through every twist and turn life throws your way.

Now don’t get too comfortable…we’re only halfway through the journey. Next up, we’re diving into the Emotional Quotient (EQ), where we’ll break down how your emotional intelligence can elevate your leadership game to new heights.

When you blend this with the other intelligences, you’ll have the full toolkit to lead with impact, balance, and purpose. 

Stay tuned; it’s about to get even more interesting.

Continue your journey to uncovering your ikigai in Part 3 here.