What's your spiritual IQ?
It's the secret weapon that will help you cope with the hassles of life. Here's how to put spiritual intelligence to work for you.
Her ex had done it again. After missing their 10-year-old daughter's dance recital1, he showed up the following day with a bouquet2 of roses. My first impulse was to tear into him, admits my friend Jennie. Then some phrases popped into her mind: He loves her. She needs him. Let it be. Taking a deep breath, she listened to this inner voice and said, Natalie's going to love the flowers. And for at least one brief, shining moment, there was a little more peace on earth.
什么是你的精神IQ?
应对生活烦扰的一个秘密武器。以下几个方面告诉你怎么样将精神IQ运用到工作中去。
她前夫又一次失约了。他没能参加他们10岁女儿的舞蹈演出会，第二天，他携带一束玫瑰来看她们。我的朋友詹妮承认说：我第一个冲动就是批评他。但接着闪入脑海的却是：他是爱女儿的。女儿需要他。算了吧。深吸一口气，她以此宽慰自己说：纳塔利会喜欢这类花的。至少在那一短暂、轻松的时刻，世上多了一份和睦。
What happened? Without consciously realizing why or how, Jennie had reached beyond reason to a deeper level of understanding, a newly recognized way of knowing that psychologists have dubbed3 spiritual intelligence. Our spiritual intelligence quotient, or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live fuller, happier lives.
Spiritual intelligence is the capacity to sense, understand and tap in to the highest part of ourselves, of others and of the world around us. This source of inner serenity4 may be our best defense5 against the hassles that barrage6 us every day.
出了什么事状况呢？原来无声无息间，詹妮已经超越理智进入到理解的深层次了，即心理学家称之为精神IQ的一个刚被公认的认知办法。大家的精神IQ，或SQ，帮助大家知道自我，生活得更充实，更幸福。
精神IQ是一种能力，可以感受、理解并触及最深的自我、别人及大家周遭的世界。这种内心深处的宁静可能是大家抵御平时困扰的最好能力。
While we' re all born with SQ, most of us aren't even aware that we have it. Fortunately, you don't have to sign up for classes to learn how to enhance your SQ. Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding:
Sit Quietly. The process of cultivating spiritual intelligence begins in solitude7 and silence. Most spiritual traditions involve an inner wisdom. To tune8 in to its whisper, you have to turn down the volume in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all. Start small by creating islands of silence in your day. In the car, instead of reaching for the radio dial, use the time to reflect. At work, shut the door to your office between meetings, take a few deep breaths and let them out very, very slowly. Savor9 the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed.
虽然大家生来就有精神IQ，但大部分人并没意识到它的存在。有幸的是，你不必报名去学习怎么样加大你的精神IQ。以下几个简单的办法就可助你达到理解的新境界：
静坐培养 精神IQ可从独处和静默开始。精神上的信仰大多需要心灵的智慧。要听到心灵的细语就要放慢步伐，使纷繁嘈杂的生活平静下来，迫使自己放手所有事务。渐渐为每一天创造一段安静的时间。在开车时，用一些时间考虑，而不是打开收音机。在工作时，可以借助会议间歇关上办公室的门，深吸几口气，然后缓缓地呼出。在家，孩子上床后，一个人细细地品位一下家的宁静。
Step Outside. For many people, nature sets their spirit free. It puts the hassles of daily living into perspective.
Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset. If you're walk-ing the dog, take the time to admire an azalea bush in bloom. Follow the flight of a bird; watch clouds float overhead. Gaze into the night sky and think of the stars as holes in the darkness letting heaven shine through. Find An Activity You Enjoy. It's important to find a hobby that helps you tune in to your spirit. Garden, walk or jog, arrange flowers, listen to music that touches your soul.
户外活动 对于很多人来讲，大自然能给予他们精神上的自由，使他们对日常烦心的事可以用风物长宜放眼量的角度去看。
出去观看漂亮的日出。假如外出遛狗，可以注意一下路边盛开的杜鹃花丛；可以仰望飞翔的小鸟；观赏空中的浮云。凝视夜空，可以设想群星不过是黑幕上的点点小洞，让天堂之光透射进去。找到一种自己喜欢的活动培养一种喜好对塑身养性十分要紧。比如：园艺、散步或慢跑、插花、倾听触动心灵的音乐。
Ask Questions Of Yourself. Some people use their contemplative time to focus on a line of scripture10. Others ask open-ended questions, such asWhat am I feeling? What are my choices? Where am I heading?
But don't expect an answer to arrive via some super-natural form of e-mail. Rarely do I get an immediate11 answer to my questions, says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California. But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem from a perspective I never considered before.
向自己提问 一些人在沉思中考虑圣经中的语句。另一些人问自己一些随便的问题，如我目前感觉如何？我的选择是什么？我目前去往什么地方？
但不要期望以超自然的邮件方法得到答案。加利福尼亚州，索萨利托的长老会牧师雷弗伦德琼卡特说：对自问问题，极少立刻得到答案，但晚些时侯，我会忽然从不曾考虑到的另一个角度去考虑这个问题。
Trust Your Spirit. While most of us rely on gut12 feelings to alert us to danger, spiritual intelligence usually nudges us, not away from, but toward some action that will lead to a greater good.
This is a lesson that Charlene Baumbich, an author and speaker in Illinois, has learned well. Several years ago she was convinced that she couldn' t write a book she' d contracted to do. The day before she planned to scuttle13 the deal, she went to a crafts fair. There Baumbich found a photograph of a chubby14 toddler opening a treasure chest -- out of which flew butterflies. There was a voice that said,'Just open the lid. Write the first word.' So she did. And that book, How to Eat Humble15 Pie and Not Get Indigestion, was a success. Her advice to other women curious about tuning16 in to their inner wisdom: Take the first step. Peer inside yourself. And don' t be surprised if you find butterflies.
相信我们的心灵 大部分人觉察危险是凭直觉。精神IQ却常常引导大家去采取，而不是背离某种可以使结局更好的行动。
这是伊利诺伊州的一位作家兼演说家查伦鲍姆比切过去有过的一个亲身领会，甚得教益。几年前，她签约写一本书却觉得自己没办法如约完成，就在她筹备取消合同的前一天，她去了一个工艺品买卖市场。在那儿，她看到了一张照片，照片上一个胖乎乎的孩子正打开一个珠宝盒，从盒子中飞出了蝴蝶。有个声音说道'掀开盖子，写下第一个字'。于是她照着去做了，接着，《怎么样忍气吞声而不会消化不好的》一书问世并获得成功。对心灵智慧有好奇心的其他女子，她建议道：第一步，窥探心灵，假如看到了那蝴蝶，不要吃惊。
