The Saboteur Within
The Positive Intelligence © Program, created by Shirzad Chamine, refers to our self-defeating strategies as “Saboteurs.” Saboteurs always, well, sabotage you. They’re nasty characters that live within our pysches that pretend to be our allies, but they end up acting as our enemies. For an analogy, imagine that you're a general with an army on an island. There were bridges on that island that were necessary for troop movements. But then one of the generals in the command tent began frantically demanding that you blow up all the bridges to keep all the enemies out. His frantic and angry and fearful demands sway you into blowing up all the bridges. And then all your troops suffer starvation and defeat because they were completely disconnected from the rest of army operations. You realize the stupidity of blowing up all the bridges and you go to talk with the general. In a sane world, you would relieve him of command, but he’s then able to frantically and angrily and fearfully convince you of some other danger so you decide that his voice actually is important. He remains within your council. Outside observers can see how deadly this character is, yet you keep him within your closest circle of advisers.
Through a process of Factor Analysis, Shirzad Chamine and the Positive Intelligence team identified 10 main ways of self-sabotage in human beings. And, these nasty characters really are just as bad as the saboteur general that’s bent on the destruction of the army.
What happens when we are at home with the family and we just need a little alone time? The Saboteur voice within our head can frantically and angrily and fearfully generate reasons as to why you should be ashamed of yourself that you need alone time, you’re lazy and don’t want to help, nobody respects your needs, you never get your needs met, etc. This Saboteur driven narrative in our head can generate a stressed state of being, and blind us to empathy, curiosity, and a sense of security. And, if we act on the voice of this Saboteur (whichever one it might be - for me, the Victim Saboteur is the main one responsible for the subtle, negative, self-pity filled chatter in the back of my mind), we will go and blow up the bridges just to get a little space. Driven by fear and stress, we act from our Saboteur-brain, rather than our Sage-brain.
The Positive Intelligence framework identifies all the great things about our brains as the “Sage brain”. This refers to our ability to experience deep empathy, a sense of curiosity and wonder, and having a compelling vision for our lives.
What if you could learn to identify and diminish these Saboteurs within? It starts with taking the Saboteur test. You can take that test here: https://www.lionheartcoaching.org/saboteur. After you’ve taken the test, I invite you to schedule a free Saboteur Discovery session with me, to dive deeper into how your saboteurs are blowing up your bridges and causing havoc in your life. I believe this is the most important work that we can do, because it’s the foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful life. It’s the bedrock on which we can build a life of meaningful endeavors and growth. Helping others to do this work, helping others to grow these foundational muscles so they can achieve their potential, being a part of the growing shift of positivity and goodness that I see in the world, that is the compelling vision I have for my work. And, dear reader, I would be greatly honored to gift a Saboteur Discovery session to you to help you along on your journey of growth and fulfillment.