Spiritual Intelligence Explained: How to Find Inner Peace & Purpose Daily

0:00 Karen, very important questions for you. Got a very part answer, Are you sure? No? I much prefer your honesty for sure. Okay, here we go. How can someone go from engineer at MIT to Harvard MBA to spiritual Jedi master with a PhD in psychology? I don't know, You don't. I can't even think of like a clever answer to that. I will not be dispointed. Well, you meditate your way through quantum mechanics. Well, but not only do you meditate your way through quantum mechanics, you also breathe through I pos and chakra align your way into the C suite.

0:41 Makes total sense, easy for you to well. This week's guess is basically what happens when Einstein goes on a silent retreat and comes back. Quoting Roomy, He's coached a billion dollar CEOs, founded nonprofits that awaken masculinity and love, and wrote the literal book on spiritual, spiritually intelligent leadership. Again easy for you to say, But Karen, don't worry. He's way more than is, way more than theory. He's got tools, practices, and probably even an interdimensional calendar system for scheduling spiritual breakthrough somewhere. I'm per sieved there. So stay tuned and enlightenment may come closer than your next to do list. On the Skeptic Metaphysicians, my name is Will and I'm Karen, and unlike moulderin Scully.

1:28 Both want to believe. So we've embarked in a journey of discovery. We've talked to people deeply entrenched in the spiritual and metaphysical world. We've thrown ourselves into weird and wonderful experiences. I even joined a coven. Of witches and wait, you joined a coven. Yep, all on the interest of finding something, anything, that will prove that there's something beyond this physical. Three dimensional world we all live in. This is the Skeptic Metaphysicians. Okay, I'm just gonna say it. I've officially become that guy who wears an energy around his deck. No no, no, no, no, wait, before you roll your eyes, hear me out. See it's called the que Link. And I started wearing it because I was feeling totally drained between the show work, family, tech overload, in the non stop buzz of modern life. I was like a walking stress magnet. So I gave this little pendant a shot.

2:21 You know what, I felt it like I felt it. The q link helps support your bio field. That's a natural energy field that surrounds your body and helps it to stay balanced and resilient. It's like giving your energy system a hug or maybe a personal bodyguard. Since wearing it, I've noticed I'm more focused. I'm less reactive and way less fried by things like Wi Fi phone signals or just people being chaotic. And the best part, I don't have to do anything, no apps, no charging, no rituals. I just wear it and it does its thing like a stress shield and autopilot. If you want to check it out for yourself, head to the link in our show notes. When you buy through that special link, you'll be supporting your own energetic well being and the show because we get a small affiliate fee when you buy from our link. So if lfe's been zapping you lately, maybe it's time to zap back with q Link. Hey there, I will welcome back to on the eye opening episode of the Skeptic Positions, today's guest is none other than Doctor You'll see I'm Wrong, a man who's basically the spiritual love child with the Dolly Lama and Steve Jobs.

3:39 Oh if Steve had traded turtlenecks for prayer beats any uterus. So it as a love child, Donnie Lama. Steve Jobs is splitting. Hair security anyway. And you'll see has not only launched companies into billion dollar IPOs, but now he's launching souls into self actualization. With over twenty years eat and mystic Judaism, Buddhism, Kundalini, yoga, and the Diamond Approach, Oh, the Diamond Improveance. Yosi doesn't just talk about spiritual intelligence, he embodies it. His book Spiritually Intelligent Leadership is a best seller and an award winner. That's basically what would happen if a Ted talk and a monk at a very wise baby. He's here to shows that enter piece can be practical, spirituality can be scientific, and yes, your Google calendar can make room for enlightenment.

4:29 So how does someone cultivate spiritual intelligence in everyday life without quinning your job or moving to a monastery. We're about to find out as we Welcome to the show, Yosi, I'm run to the show. Welcome Josie, nice to see. Here, Thank you, thank you, will and ken. Wow, after that introduction, I'm bound to disappoint you and your audience. So that is that is not a good start there, I know. I already disappointed you. See, I prove myself. I just wive myself right. Nothing else. You are a man of your word? Yeah, No, I can predict the future as you can see, have have psychic abilities. You forgot to mention that.

5:11 Oh, I think we're about to prove you wrong here which will prove me right? Then? Oh? This give me a fun one I can already tell us. Okay, most important question, right, spiritual intelligence? How do you define that? How's a difference from like mindfulness, for example. Or emotional intelligence? You might integence, yeah, which. Most people are familiar with. So let's start there with what we know. So, emotional intelligence is the ability to draw on emotional resources and information to help manage emotions in ourselves and others. So by analogy, spiritual intelligence is the ability to draw on spiritual resources and information and embody timeless wisdom in the modern day life. So what are these spiritual qualities and resources? You might say, these are the virtues that for millennia, thousands of years across all the world's traditions have been spoken about like purpose, service, gratitude, trust, beauty, compassion, forgiveness, humility, presence, and so on. So these qualities came through in my interviews with seventy one teachers across all the world's traditions, and regardless of their cosmology or theology, whether they believe Moses went up to the mountain and saw God face to face, or Jesus was the Messiah, Muhammad was the final prophet, or there's Shiva Shakhti or Father Sky, Mother Earth,

6:46 whatever their theology and cosmology, the one thing they could agree on is living a life of purpose, service, gratitude, trust, humility is the good life. And so this has been known for humanity for thousands of years. What is exciting now is we have modern research, not just my own, but the whole field of positive psychology. People like Marty Seligman you may have heard of, developed this thing called character, Strength, Inventory and Values in Action, and they define twenty four qualities lo and behold over half of the qualities of what came through my research. Twenty two qualities of spiritual intelligence map one to one with qualities of positive psychology.

7:33 So you have convergence through the ancient, timeless traditions, the modern science. Not just my own, but you know, worldwide research across different cultures and traditions that show the benefit of spiritual intelligence in terms of greater satisfaction, quality of life, deeper meaning more resilience, individual productivity, group productivity, and then this field of positive psychology and leadership development. So I know I'm saying a lot. I'll stop. I asked you to interrupt me when I go off. But here's the thing, though, YO, see you you are already been proven wrong. You were not disappointing. In fact, you were going way beyond what they expected you to answer.

8:21 That's why that you go on and on, so you could see that unit disappointment you go, you're over delivering. That's honored. I'm honored. Absolute. So quick question for at aside, if you may. So you went and did a silent meditation that the sound of retreatation that transformed you will did one and he came back and just kind of wanted to talk a lot like where's the disconnect here? I think that's a shot. I think you took a shot, and they just have. Oh wait a minute. Well, so the introduction was if as if he had gone. On a sanitary I thought, and you said you did.

9:02 Well, what if both of you are right as if and I did? So you know what you imagine might be true too. I mean, you know that's the whole thing of visualization. You know, you can manifest. If you imagine it, it becomes true. So that's another thing right there, you go. Okay, so let's say that you wanted to exponentially increase your spiritual intelligence. How does someone go about doing that? Or or is there do it? Is it like? Is it like? Is it like? Is there an spiritual IQ test you take? You know, like you're this smart spiritually or you're this dumb spiritually?

9:42 Well there is. I do offer a free assessment of your spiritual intelligence and k yeah, you can go to my site and and so on. We could drop that in the show notes if you care, absolutely. But the point actually is not to give you an absolute score to others is because that just engages your ego and it's like, oh and well, let me ask you which of the two of you has higher spiritual intelligence. I got in trouble, okay, I should I got all three of us in trouble. You're all about that Pandora's box. And then just like to stir the pot.

10:22 But here's the question. Who has the greater spiritual talent? Is who thinks they. Have any That is the question here and the question. Yeah, so actually what we what we do in the assessment is not tell you. We normalize it relative to yourself. So we tell you these qualities you you're really high in purpose and service and you know someone else is really high enjoy and gratitude or whatever. So it's like identifying your relative strength. It's like your question is if I wanted to get instantly physically fit, what would I do? Well, you can't. You got to go to the gym and you have so many muscle groups in your body.

11:05 Whether it's I thought you were actually going to answer that question, I was all excited. Yeah, well I am, I am. I'm working up to it. Oh okay. So the first thing, the first thing you do is you set an intention. Like anything in life, you got to set an intention. So if you set an intention and say I want to grow my spiritual intelligence, that's your north star. So right now, if you're listening, you know, the two of you or anybody listening, just see what it's like to connect with your intention and say I wish to develop greater spiritual intelligence. So tell me what do you experience right now as you say that, or do you think that as you set that intention in yourself, what happens to your physiology, your body, your sense of aliveness, your chest, your breathing, your spine, what have you?

11:58 I get the sense a long way to go. Well, you make the point of if you want to get in shape, you know you have to go to the gym, you have to work out, and that's we know that. It's like I know how to get in shape, do it, but I know how to do it, but I have no idea how to get in spiritual shape. What exercises? Is it just meditation? And there's got to be more than that. Well, you know the stage is into a lot of say gurls' hands, it could exist. Okay, Well, now the point about setting an intention, though, is is then you like with your gym, with your physical thing, is then you say, okay, I have these muscle groups. Do I work on my ads? Do I work on my triceps? Do I work on this? So, as I said, we have twenty two quality as a spiritual intelligence. So there are some essential ones that I would recommend people start with, which would be gratitude or purpose.

12:52 So gratitude, for example, is a capacity that you know, really fundamentally alters are moved, and we know that people that live with the attitude of gratitude are happier, you know, are healthier physically, emotionally, spiritually. So one place to begin is a gratitude practice. I wake up in the morning, I begin with gratitude. I go to sleep. At the end of the day, I go with gratitude. I go through my day and now I look for moments that I tonight gonna think about for gratitude and I express it. So like right now, the two of you could look at each other and think about, you know, oh what am I grateful for here and my partner in crime and maybe oh there we go sharing. Yeah, yeah, look at that sweet smile. I notice how it affected you, and you know, Karen reached out and affectually touched your face.

13:51 So you know, when we express gratitude, we expand our heart's capacity and it makes good, feels good for those receipt receiving it, and it's good for us. So where it's not like I'm spending a dollar out of the one hundred dollars I have. The more I express gratitude, the more gratitude I have in my heart. So it's a perpetual motion machine that creates a positive feedback. So you build the habit around gratitude. Then you pick another quality, let's say purpose. You know, what is my purpose? What is my calling? So you know there's the Japanese arch of ekey guy, the purpose of being? And we think about you think about what are my unique gifts, talents and superpowers that life has granted me? What are you?

14:41 Yeah, but before we go down too far down the rabbit, Well, let's go back to gratitude for a second, because Okay. I'm grateful for you interrupting me and following up on my request. It's gratitude. We all know gratitude is a wonderful first step. Yeah, However, sometimes people find it really difficult to find things that they can be truly grateful. So how do you recommend that someone Actually, if it's difficult for someone to think about and nothing good happen to you today, what how can you still practice gratitude if like you didn't win the lottery. Well, that's a good question. We don't need to win the lottery. I mean the very the very fact that we are alive and breathing. I can enjoy my ice cream, my burrito, my whatever. I have running water at home.

15:33 Then I woke up in bed, in safety. So there are the basic things that I think we can We can usually find something to be grateful for. So I honestly, this is I'm going to admit this. Hunts is a bad thing, and this is cheat. First, the gratitude comes, but it is sometimes it's hard and I feel like everything's going wrong, and you know, yes you have harder driving, but it's hot, the ac doesn't work well whatever. So I try to think, well, you know, hey, look you know and it's like you shouldn't compare, and then you shouldn't compare yourself to people in a lesser situation. But at least that kind of helps me be thankful for the fact that my legs were or something. Is that is that wrong too?

16:14 I think that's great. I mean, I'm grateful that I could take a breath right now. Let's see what happens if I just let myself feel the fact that I can breathe and what's it like? Is there pleasure that I can derive just from breathing? Now? The interesting thing is one of my favorite things speaking about Sometimes we have really tough days and what have you, and it's hard to find gratitude. One of my favorite things I do with Thanksgiving, when we were supposed to go into gratitude, everybody's like, I'm grateful for this, I'm grateful for that, which is wonderful. And I like to up the game and say, okay, tell, let's share something that happened in your life that seemed like a it's a real difficult, painful disaster and how did it turn out? So people speak about, oh, I lost my job, I went through a divorce, God forbid or whatever it is. But you know, when I lost that job, I thought it was terrible.

17:15 I was under financial pressure, et cetera. But then I really discovered something much better and new calling I changed my career. So you know, sometimes it's hard to see we're in the midst of it. But but you know, for example, one of my practices, I'm rushing, I'm driving, and then I'm trying to get someplace on time, and on behold, the light turns red just when I get there. Okay, except I don't know if that ever happened to you, or it just happens to me as an unlucky kind of guy. You guys are all blessed, so that doesn't happen to you. I mean, we are blessed, but that does happen to us. Okay, Well that's the point. That's the point. It is a blessing. So when that happened, I work on reframing. Okay, how can I be grateful for this red light? Okay, you've been rushing, you see, you're all pumped up. Your nervous system is amped up. This red light? What is it inviting you? Oh, let's say, take a look at the sky. It's blue sky, or there's this tree over here, or it's time for me to take a breath and calm my nervous system. So something that seemed like, you know, not something to be grateful for. I can find gratitude.

18:31 And that's an advanced practice, so it may not be available for everybody, but I suggest that when we think about our history and our past, we often can find things that you seem difficult, challenging, and then in hindsight, we discover that they actually worked on for the best, and that actually helps us cultivate this related quality of spiritual intelligence with trust, which is so foundational having that trust in ourselves and in life that we are okay, that things will be okay, and there will be okay at the end, and if it isn't okay, then it's not the end. You know. That's the line from a movie, you know, right, that.

19:14 Was that the universe is actually working for us and not doing things to us. So then let's transition into purpose, which I'm really interested in because sometimes you may think that you know you're pos but then all of a sudden the rugs pulled out from under you, or some people don't even have an idea what their purpose actually is, Karen, So how does someone find their purpose? Okay, so let's break it down. I like the fact that you said that you think you know your purpose and then the rug gets pulled out from under you, so which to me highlights the fact that you know our purpose in different phases of life may change. I mean, when I'm in kindergarten, my purpose is to play and break as many toys as I can so I can.

20:01 Full disclosure that's still my purpose. So just so we're clear. Okay, good, So I get it. I get it. But then you know, I graduate to college and my purposes, you know, to get drunk and get laid or whatever it is. Oh wait, wait, don't know that's my purpose right here? Well yo, by womb, my mom watches. This, so you can erase me. My point is that you know, and then you know, in the Hindu tradition they talk about these life stages in cycles. So then we are in our twenties and thirties and we're working on our career and building family, et cetera, and we moved to our forties and fifties, and then our purpose often becomes a lot more spiritual growth, et cetera. Not that we can't start earlier. So I think it's okay to think of our life as you know, evolutionarily, and as Jung said, the way we live the morning is not the way we want to live the afternoon of our lives. The day, the day's energy and the sun in the morning is different than in the afternoon, and then it calls for different activities. So I'm just trying to highlight that what felt like purposeful at one stage in life, like for me, was to build a company as an entrepreneur, to build an organization based on a certain culture. It was my passion, it was my calling.

21:32 I was fully in and then at some point I was like, Okay, I've done being an entrepreneur and I've done that. I've been there, I've done that. I'm ready to do And then I discovered this other thing, which is I want to research spiritual intelligence. I want to help people do healing, etc. So I've gone through different phases in life and what seemed like my purpose has evolved and changed. But in every stage, you know, so going back to them, how do we find it? We think about what are unique gifts and talents and and and powers that So for you, it's like being funny and being curious, and oh you don't think that's funny.

22:18 Okay, I'll give you curious, but I don't think I'm funny. You know, I think I think Karen is a funny one. Karen is the funny one. Okay, the two of you are are funny as a couple. So you know, I was just saying that, I was just gonna say that she stealed my jokes all the time. But that's makes such a good point about people's purpose evolving. So our daughter is now going to high school and I, for the most part stay at home after I've had her to do the mom thing, to take care of her, always be there. She needed Nissa. Now she doesn't really need me like that anymore. And I feel totally bossed. And so that I am. I was struggling with trying to figure out what the heck I'm supposed to do now.

23:00 Kepting men a physician. So there's some grief perhaps going on, Yeah, absolutely, which is like I had this role, I had this purpose, and now it's gone. I'm feeling a loss. Well, that loss is an invitation to discover a new thing. Like that door is closing and then a new door is opening and you don't know what it is yet, and that gives you a chance to practice trust and be in curiosity until you discover what your purpose might be. And then so when we think about what are my unique talents? So I'm curious, I am a good listener or whatever it is, So how can I apply that?

23:42 Because when we apply the gifts that life has given us, then we're actualizing our potential. Then we feel fulfilled. Naturally when we're applying our gifts and we feel fulfilled, we're going to be good at it, which further gives us a sense of joy and satisfaction and mastery. And then when we use that to contribute to others, then our life has meaning and through that contribution to others, we feel connected. So we become embedded into the web of life. And one of the major issues that we're facing as a society is this loneliness epidemic and this connection. And so when we know our gifts and we can use them and we actualize them and use them to contribute to others, then we are remembering ourselves. We become members in the web of life, and that gives us a sense of belonging. Just like every cell in the human body is embedded into an organ. It has its unique individual identity, right, it has a cell membrane, it has to keep itself safe, it has its own immune system, et cetera. But it knows that I am part of the thyroid or I'm part of the liver, and I am participating in this fun and my well being it depends not only on my individual cell, but how I my organist functioning and how this whole organism is functioning.

25:11 And so when we understand our purpose and how we contribute to the greater whole, it gives us a sense of belonging and that further fuels our sense of well being. Now, what is interesting, just staying on this analogy of the human cell, is that all the human cells in your body and my body come out of the same DNA, come out of the same stem cell. So somehow the intelligence of the overall organism is helping it differentiate and say, no, you coming off the same DNA stem cells as Oh, no you're going to be a cell in the retina of the eye. No you're going to be a neuron.

25:52 No you're going to be a piece of hair. And but they're all important. They're all important, and we're all made in the image and likeness of the divine if I were to go there, So we're coming off some common thing, but we differentiated. So and the trick is to find what cell you are. Because there's a lot of talk about spiritual weakenings and everyone's going this, this is the right path, this is it, this is the way to go. But if we are all a different cell, like, I'm a hairshell and you're right. Right, I I was gonna choose hair. Different purpose best because of my wonderful shair line. Right, we have a different your eye, the eye has different purpose in the hair. Such is a spiritual band as well, right, I would assume.

26:42 Yeah, so there is no one path for everyone, and thank God that makes life more interesting. You go into the forest and there are many, many life forms, and they all are part of the ecology, and so they all feed each other, and the leaf that decomposes, you know, forms the foundation for the next sprout. And so we don't know how it's all, but we are we are differentiator. I'm glad you guys figured out who's the hair and who's the heart. So, yeah, but I don't I don't want anyone to eat me. I don't know. I don't want to go in the forest. You've done a lot of research into a lot of different spiritual practices. Can you share what are two studies or insights that show how these practices act and change as whether mentally or spiritually or even physical.

27:39 Well, yeah, one of my favorite practices is practice from Buddhism that is called tongue len which is giving and receiving. It has to do with compassion. So you know, one of the domains I work on. You mentioned my coaching CEOs and multi billion dollar companies. I do enjoy doing that. But the other thing I love to do is do couples counseling. And I'm not trying to do any couples counseling here with you, guys. Ah, come down now. But oftentimes, you know, couples get stuck into something and whatever, and they feel the pain for themselves. And one of the ways I like to shift the energy is to do this practice of tong len, where you take the suffering of others you inhale it in, and then you exhale out kindness and compassion. And you know, I don't know if you guys have ever done that, but you might.

28:35 You know, I think we all. I'm constantly breathing in care and suffering. She makes sure it, yeah, and you and you and you exhale out loving kindness, right, yes, exactly. And so when people do that, our heart's capacity expands and it just feels good. I mean, I know, it's paradoxical. I think I have enough of my own suffering. Why why would I anybody want to take on someone else's suffering to add to my own. Well, this is the amazing alchemy of our heart's capacity, is to take in suffering and then turn it into gold, turn it into compassion, turn it into love. So that's a practice I adopted from Buddhism, and that I do all the time. I teach to my clients, whether it's in business where you know, I work routinely with cels and they go through ups and downs in the economic cyclone, they have to implement a very painful layoff for people they hired, et cetera.

29:37 And then they go into this mindset, why is this happening to me? And what have you? And and so one of the things is always good is to remember, Okay, well, can you think of other people going through the same challenge, whatever it might be, whether it's a it's a job loss, being laid off, going through a divorce, going through a medical diagnosis. No, they're They're hundreds or not millions of people going through the same problem. So imagine those people in front of you along with you, and inhale their suffering and then exhale out compassion to them. And then all of a sudden you feel. It does two things, is like I belong I'm not alone in this suffering, and I use my heart's capacity to take suffering and transform it into the gold of loving kindness and compassion.

30:28 So it's not exactly like misery loves company, but kind of kind. I mean, we want to know that I'm not the only screwed up guy who who's got this problem, so it normalizes it. It's good to know that you know the problem I'm having. I'm not that unique and special. I mean, we have enough things that feed our narcissism and all the ways we're unique and special. But at least my suffering is not that unique and special. I know some people feed their narcissism. I am the most miserable person that ever lived, and you know some people are like, I'm the smartest person that ever lived. But both are really forms of narcissism that makes us uniquely special.

31:15 And you feel seen, you feel seen, right, I. Feel them being shot at from all directions. So I have a questiononality to derail you. But you have done all of this research, You've had all these interviews, You've learned so much. Kit, what was one of the lessons or maybe surprises that you learned something that they didn't expect to learn about this research. We need to take a quick pause, but would be right back right after these messages and now back to the show. Well, I mentioned something that was surprising is to discover that the virtues and the qualities that these people across all the traditions cultivate was unique. I did not expect that.

32:00 You know, you've got all these religious wars and which path is better and you know the Yeah, I won't get into the politics of all of this which is going on in the world right now, but you know what was really heartening to me is to find our shared humanity across all these traditions and that these people that are wives that have been practicing and embodying and nominated by their peers, really when it comes down to it, our speaking of cultivating the same human virtues. And I think to me that was super exciting and hopeful that if we could focus on, like right now, there's so much polarization in this country and politically et cetera, but when you think about it, underneath it all, we all want peace and love in our lives. We might you know, think about the best way to get there is a little different and so on. So to me, that was really exciting to find the commonality, the shared humanity across these different wisdom traditions.

33:11 Well, it's someone listening or watching this today, if you wanted them to walk away with one thing about spiritually and spiritual intelligence, what would you want to make sure that that person gets well? I think I would say one or two things. One is, you know, human cognitive intelligence IQ has been tremendous in advancing humanity. It's landed us on the moon. We split the ATAM, we deciphered the genome. Now we have AI, which was smarter than most of us, at least me. I don't know about you guys. You do you guys look maybe smarter than AI. But but you know, so we have all of that, and then we have and we have emotional intelligence we have discovered. You know, up until nineteen ninety when the first academic paper on emotional intelligence came out, we used to think that emotion and reason are in opposition. I'd say to you, do you know people in your life that are emotional? And you might think of some people, but that wouldn't necessarily be a compliment. You know, they're prone for drama and whatever.

34:20 But if I say to you, do you have people in your life that are emotionally intelligent, I'm like, oh, you know, they're applying emotion in an intelligent way. So emotion and someone could be emotional and reasonable. It doesn't mean like they're out of control. Now, we have a similar dichotomy between spiritual and practical. We think that spiritual is like some kind of woo woo and it's esoteric and you know, whatever beliefs you might have. So the point is, though, that spiritual intelligence kind of bridges that gap between the spiritual and the practical and spiritually intelligent. Spiritual intelligence is not the same as spiritual belief Whether you believe in God or reincarnation or whatever time travel that you believe in, those are spiritual beliefs. You can also have spiritual experiences. I could be meditating and my egos dissolved, and or I'm walking in the forest and I'm one with nature and whatever. Those are important spiritual experiences.

35:24 But spiritual intelligence is the ability to embody these qualities and wisdom, timeless wisdom in daily life. Now, so that's one key thing I want people to get is that spiritual intelligence is very practical, and the research shows that people with greater spiritual intelligence are more effective leaders, they produce better financial results, they're happier, they're more fulfilled, they are more resilient, they have better quality relationships, they're more productive individually and as groups, et cetera. And I think it's the antidote that we needed right now because despite cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence, the world looks like a mess, you know, I mean, you have soaring anxiety, depression rates, loneliness, substance abuse, addictions, suicide rates, wars, political polarization, and I think the missing ingredients the third leg on the stool of cognitive intelligence emotional intelligence is a spiritual intelligence. And I think it's particularly important right now in the age of AI, where you know, some of the things that kind of differentiated us are going to get automated, and you know AI is going to do for us. So what's going to keep us as humans feeling like we have worth and value on this planet is going to be our spiritual intelligence.

36:52 Oh, I was gonna say lots of beer. What's that? I was going to say, lots of beer? Yeah, I mean that's why it's called spirits. You know, when you don't have spiritual intelligence. When you don't have spiritual intelligence, you need spirits. Oh so it's a knowledge of what kind of like woodbourbon differentiated between whiskey differentiat. That's it's intelligent spirit intelligence. I get it. There, you get it. Okay, yeah again, she's so we from time time we have some guests that we asked to ask the really deep curveball questions. Would you be open to do some kind of cookie weird curball questions?

37:35 Well, your normal cookie. Let me just get it straight, because so, I mean, I might be okay with one, but I don't know if it's a combo of both. Okay, we could choose, right, we can do. I got very serious. I've gotta love me too. I've got a list of cookie curveballs, cookie care level, and in a list of deep curveballs. So which one would you like? Cookie or deep? I'm gonna trust you. I'm going to the spiritual intelligence. I'm going to trust your judgment for the betterment of the greater whole, for your audience, for you guys, and for me. Good God, he's giving me all the credit. That's a kookie curveles. Okay, you're given Karen, choose this one. Okay, you're given one mystical power for twenty four hours. It's telepathy, time bending, instant inter piece for anyone you touch. Which one do you choose? And why?

38:27 Out of those three or any any any any spiritual power, any spiritual Yes, well, my spiritual power would be to bring in world peace. Right now. I knew you were going to say that. Really, world piece, that's your spiritual power, telepathy. You read his mind totally ex Well, that's a that's a great answer. Actually, I wish I had thought it. All right, I'm gonna go a deep curve box, and I'm curious for your answer. What do you now know that you think your soul was trying to your entire life, but you only just now understand. Hmm. Everything is an expression of the one divine reality that we're a part of, including you and you and me and you listening. Now, if we should take that in, I think that would be pretty amazing.

39:31 Yeah, very amazing action. I like to deep. Okay, if everything you've ever taught about spiritual childes suddenly vanished, but you could whisper one sentence into the heart of every human. What would it be. One sentence into the heart of rehuman? You are love loving itself. These are good questions. What's your sentence was skin and receive love? When, oh, that's a good sentence to Mmm, I'm receiving right now?

40:17 All right? So just prodded a question. A lot of people believe that in order to be spiritual intelligent, or to to be enlightened, you have to go through suffering. Is that a true statement? Is someone who is someone who never suffers in their life, can they actually be spiritually intelligent? I don't know. I mean to tell you the truth, I haven't met such I mean, the way I understand life is that pain and suffering is one of our greatest teachers. And without some suffering and understanding, it's hard to develop the compassion and empathy that we need for ourselves and others. So it's like, know, whoever designed the human body gave us pain? Now, would you want to live a life without pain? I mean, I think we Pain is painful if you believe it or not. Pain is painful if you haven't.

41:16 I found that to be true. You've found that out to be true. Yeah, But people who don't experience pain. You know, are are pretty dangerous to themselves and others. So absolutely, But you know, if I were. To blame God for a moment, and you know, maybe, I mean people asked this question, if God was all powerful and alling, why and all loving? Why is it that we have so much suffering? Et cetera. There are many philosophical questions. But but you know, God, in their infinite wisdom, somehow gave us suffering and pain. And who am I to second guess God? You know? I mean, yeah, there was a stay on Broadway or off our way else living in New York comes to mind.

42:02 It was that they had a commercial all the time. The show is called Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. That just reminded me to know when a box with God? Because okay, this is fun. We having fun? Yet yeah I'm having I'm. Just picture in a boxing Oh yes done. Is it? Is there such a thing as too much spiritual growth? I don't think so. They're spiritual bypassing. I wouldn't want to be doing spiritual bypassing, but real spiritual girls, I don't think that's too much. Can you can you define that spiritual bypassing?

42:45 Well? I mean, it's not a term I use, I invented. I think John Well would point it if I'm not mistaken. I did. A lot of people are talking are throwing around that term spiritual bypassing. Well, spiritual bypassing is actually not spiritual. It's like using spiritual concepts to avoid dealing with reality. So you know, it's it's uh yeah, So I think that's not very spiritual intelligent because you know, if I'm going through a pain or a loss and just somehow being pollyannish about it, then I'm not really feeling. I'm not going to learn, I'm not going to derive the nutrition that is embedded into that difficulty. So we don't want to pollyannish, you know, put lipstick on a pig, so to speak.

43:37 Yes, And I love how you said that you don't get the NUTRITI behind that. Back to that incidence, because you're right, it's this show, this person that you're seeing right now on the camera, that you're listening to on the microphone, would not exist were it not for a severe amount of pain that not only did I go through, right put a lot of people through. So we all have grown from these experiences and you're right. It's really important when you're going through something to feel it, to allow yourself to feel it and process it, because it's when we like very deep down inside of us. Oh never, bro No, fine, you know it might be a bonding python and the whole grail of the night. His arm gets cut off and goes, oh, fight you with the one arm, and he gets the other. Well, I'll kick you to death and you get both lads cut off and all bite comeing home. But you did that right? No?

44:32 You ow, my arm is gone, rights to say, and then you have a chance of fighting the guy again. But I think it's it's important to process it. And I'm glad you brought it up because it's it's easy to distress. Well, and I think that's a processing It makes the pain the lesson effect, not just you, but it won't around you because then you also will understand more maybe what they're going through, and len that compassion and that for the next person and they'll learn it too and it kind of will spread that way. Right We Actually people are talking now in spirituality. Personal spirituality actually can affect society as a whole. Do you agree with that? And so what does that mean exactly, because I have no idea what I just said.

45:13 Well, I do know that there's scientific research that shows that in cities where there's a critical massive people that meditate, that crime rates go down, so you know, and we do know that people who live near large bodies of water or bodies of water also derive some kind of energetic benefit from it, and controlling for everything, crime rates and go down and well being goes up. So yeah, we have believe it or not. They tell us that we are all connected. We're all you know, vibrations of light and frequency and how those frequencies you know, get propagated through that medium. But we do know that for example, right now, the two of you I'm betting or sitting within six feet of each other, and science tells us that our heart produces an electromagnetic field that affects those that are in our vicinity. So your hearts right now are in some kind of interaction or feedback loop that affects each other. So yeah, I mean, so I see, I see the sweetness, I see the love between the two of you and and the radiance. So that's beautiful.

46:36 So it is real. We also know that we have this thing called mirror neurons, and we also don't know how that works. But when two people are watching each other, it's even monkeys. You know, one monkey sees another monkey eating the banana, and the brain regions of banana eating are lighting up, and this other monkey. Now the I didn't know that everyone you like bananas. I mean, I think I don't know for sure. I can't vouch for it, but I suspect that works for Keiwilliam strawberries too about So yeah, that's pretty fruity. Yeah, but yeah, but you know, we skipped something that you said that I was curious about.

47:23 And I don't know if you want to go into it, but you spoke about the pain you've experienced and how it made you who you are, and I just kind of, oh, I was wondering, like, what what is that? Would you be willing to say a few words? Yeah, longtime listeners know all about it to talk about it on the show a lot that I went to an existential crisis when I during COVID as we were as we were shutting down, I was forced to look at myself when we realized I was not that cool guy I thought it was. I was very judgmental, very angry. I was not a good guy. I was under the impression though it was my entire life, and all of a sudden, the house of cards came tumbling down and I realized, Holy crap, I've I've ruined everything. I almost lost everything. And if I hadn't gone through that crisis and come out from the on the other side of it, I do believe I wouldn't be hearing.

48:20 Yeah, so you that was crisis was an opportunity. It was a painful thing, but you came out stronger. You know, in Chinese character the word for crisis an opportunity, or the symbols the saint so crisis an opportunity. Wow, you know, I'd love that, because the more we talk to people in the show, the more we learn, We go on classes, and we we start really diving into this stuff. It really is that that statement we said earlier about the universe always working in our favor, not doing things to us. It is truly astounding when you raise your person back to enough to understand that that that this is true, that this is a thing, That that car that pulls up in front of you and slams to a stop and makes you late for work.

49:13 Why it just saved you from our sixteen car pile up somewhere in the highway, right, so you just don't know. So I love that, and I think I'm going to see if I can get that somebole because I want to. I have I have these sticking out over the place of little things that helped me to remind myself of my spirituality, things like. Stup on the paper puffs. Right, it's amazing thing. It says, your attachments are the source of all your problems, right so, and and it's it's funny. We got to let you attached to the to the attachers, and it is attached right now, attached, it's non attached, non detachable now because it's it's my way of expressing my attachments onto that so that.

50:00 I love them. Yeah, I love it. But we actually we got a message from one of our listeners who who talked to us about that that she always assumed that attachments in that saying meant like physical things. But no, it's it's your attachment to being, right, It's your attachment to winning, it's your attachment to all these things emotionally you think you have to be when in essence. If you just chill yeah, and you really pay attention to what's important, you find those things that big a deal. It can be really hard to strip on the lighting. Oh then there you are naked. Absolutely absolutely, But I think that's what we have to get to get to be. We have to allow ourselves to face ourselves naked in the mirror and say, be okay with it, right and be okay?

50:47 And what about our attachment to letting go of all our attachments? Is that an attachment that's. The biggest one. Actually, that's the biggest one, right, because it's it's it's what makes us who we are. That our attachments are what we feel is our identity. So just chill out. I think that your best part was like, okay till you know. Chill ow. That's that's give me the title of the show, chill out. We're talking about that recently, about how you know, you think these things that have happened, and you know they have effected your life and how you've grown up and developed and it's my childhood and I just got to get rid of it. And you focus on get rid of it, or you can look at it like a friend, be like Okay, you protected me. What I need to do? I don't really need to do that much, right, So.

51:28 See, I see it more like a run of the ladder. Like you recognize that you put it in place, and you step on it to move yourself forward, to propel yourself upwards. Right, it becomes a part of your ladder. Way more welcoming your ways? What more welcome? I'm like, thank you for protecting me. Yes, well you can think it when you're putting it down and step one you are feeling thank you, just kicking the face and you are not particular. Yeah, it sounds like one of you is higher up on the line. Or I wonder which one that is the one that actually has that. I'm staring trouble here aroundside you are.

52:10 We love you for it, You love me for it? Oh my god. One last question before we call it a day, because I'm really curious what your answer is. Can meet to this one your estimate? What's the most inconvenient truth about personal growth that people don't want to hear? Absolutely neat mm hmm. The inconvenient truth about personal growth? Well, it's an endless journey and you can never get to the top of the mountain. There's no things answer. That's so true. So you're never you're never gonna get there, but you might as well enjoy the journey.

52:57 That's the trick, right, And it's it's it's the journey, not the destiny, at the scenery that you've enjoy your life, be in the moment and appreciate what you have. Now we're going back to gratitude, right, yeah, sure. But you are climbing up this mountain, you know, just you know, so there's no there's you're never going to get to the peak, but you know you're going to enjoy the climbing, right right. I love that. That's a perfect answer. Right. So if someone wants to take this spiritual assessment that you have, what's how can someone do that? Word? Where does someone go? Well, the website is called Intelligency dot com. It's the World that's a play on the word intelligence, but instead of CE at the end, it's SI. But because people are not going to remember that, I recommend you go to another website which might be easier to remember the spelling of. It's called Awakening SI dot org. It's a nonprofit that I run, and from there you can click and it says, free assessments. Click here will take it out of the website, So Awakening si dot org. You can you can go there and from there you find all the other stuff I do. And yeah, well we're.

54:17 Gonna add a direct link to that in our show notes. Or if you are interesting team assessment, how you use vote skepticmanization dot com go or U sees episode and you'll see the neck directly laid in there, and it's who want to get your book? Spiritually intelligent Leadership, which we didn't even talk about with the Okay, let this take take a moment and tell us what what is what is your book so beautifully titled have to do with spiritual intelligence? Well everything, I'm just setting him up. I'm just setting him up. You are so great, are so gracious? So yeah, it looks at each of these qualities, the spiritual intelligence, and how it applies in leadership and how it helps us get inspired, because you know, leadership and inspira first and foremost as an inside job. You can't lead or inspire anybody else until when we lead and inspire ourselves. So it looks at each of these qualities of spiritual intelligence.

55:10 We talked about some of them with gratitude, purpose, service, you know, humility, et cetera. And there's a chapter that has a case study with a client, a CEO client that I had or a problem. They had a crisis in their life and how working and cultivating that quality in our sessions was really the solution to their problem. So it's very practical, it's not just theoretical. Their case studies and for each quality, there exercises that people do that I guide people so that you can work on cultivating it. So again, you don't just read the theory of spiritual intelligence. You've got to go to the gym or to the forest or wherever you do your workout, and so you got to develop these muscle groups. So the book is built around these exercises and case study.

56:00 So it brings it down to Earth, brings Heven down to earth Twinget. That mandatory reading for every government official everywhere in this country. Yeah, Don Robert, I was going to ask, is the sequel for those of us that don't like to work out the sequel? Yeah, I mean you just visualize, you can just our exercises. You know, there's research that visualizing you know, doing your golf stroke or shooting hoops in basketball improves their game. So I'm not making this shut up. I mean it's so. I'm going to visualize lifting fifteen hundred and not well, lose all these weights, all this weight, all right, And if someone wants to work with you, that they can, they can reach you through that website.

56:49 Of that's my contact information. That's true, and particularly these days, interested in and keen on working with couples who want to develop not just spiritually intelligent relationships and to ignite and grow and deepen their passionate sacred love. So yeah, if anybody is interested in that, I'm also doing a study right now with couples, and so there's an assessment that people could take as part couples and they get a report about strength in their relationship and issues. And it's looking at spiritual intelligence, emotional intelligence, and attachment style. So you don't want to know. Yeah, yeah, that much sious, But might be tough to find clienc these days, right, and not a lot of guys are are are kind of walking on the spiritual intelligence path. Just yeah, right, the more and more are waking up, yeah, no, more, definitely more and more waking up.

57:46 But is it, particularly guys you think are hard or I mean, is. The usually guys are like not spiritually into it. I know, I know you and I might be the exceptions. Well, yes we are. We're the exception. And we're so humble too, right, Oh, yes, I know, we're really I score, I'm one of the most humble people I know, you know, But I mean, fortunately I have more clients than I usually need, so it hasn't and actually most of my clients believe it or not. Our men, but you know, there's hope for for for mankind, you know. And there's the Mankind Project, you know. Also it's it's it's the kind of men we need, which are mankind kind, more kind man kind man But there are still in our power and our strengths, So you know, we're not We're not just you know, it's not like this toxic masculinity and and whatever, which is why I I one of my nonprofits was True Masculinity, and I did a whole conference on Jenner Engendering Love, which was a play on gender. So we need to we need to understand how these energies is the masculine and feminine play in all of us. And you know, whether we're identify as male or female or non binary or whatever.

59:17 But these energies are, you know, the source of life, and they come together physically and spiritually. It brings our wholeness and brings life. So anyway, I know we're kind of joking around, getting off topic, but it is about inner wholeness, which is one of the qualities of spiritual intelligence, is the ability to go beyond polarities. So we can embrace and embody the feminine and masculine in all of us, whether we're men or women. We can go beyond paradox, beyond either or sinking to a both. And and I think that's important. So we could be compassionate, we could be fierce. We need to know when to be fears and when to be compassionate, when to be kind. It's not kind to be kind all the time without being fierce.

1:00:04 Right now, and you have to live not that is yo. See, you are a beautiful soul. It's such a wonderful conversation you've had with you. Well, really appreciate you coming on and so much fun. Yeah, and thanks for playing along with us. We you know, we we know we sometimes push some buttons, but we're grateful that you played a lot with us. Will we hope I didn't push your buttons and you know, not. At all, not at all. We love we love these types of conversations absolutely, all right. Well, if you are interested in working with Jose or getting the assessments or reaching out getting his book, all you do is go to Skeptic Inneposition dot com is actually page see the links track that they did in there, so it's easy for you to access all the about So it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much being a show.

1:00:50 Yeah, thank you both. You guys are a delight and it's so fun to play along with. You either on will welcome back to the show. That you hit play on the Skeptic better positions that was really bad, let's do because they knew they play they already playing Wow truly hotly. It was it just me sitting next to you massive lightly. You're just trying to Oh We look good though, only we need every little bit of help we can get