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.

什么是你的精神智商?

   对付生活烦扰的一个秘密武器。以下几点教你如何将精神智商运用到工作中去。

    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，他带着一束玫瑰来看她们。我的朋友詹妮承认说："我第一个冲动就是批评他。"但是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："纳塔利会喜欢这些花的。"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.

    发生了什么情况呢？原来不知不觉间，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"精神智商"的一个刚被公认的认知方法。我们的精神智商，或SQ，帮助我们了解自我，生活得更充实，更幸福。

   精神智商是一种能力，可以感受、理解并触及最深的自我、他人及我们周遭的世界。这种内心深处的宁静可能是我们抵御日常困扰的最佳能力。

　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.

   虽然我们生来就有精神智商，但大多数人并没有意识到它的存在。有幸的是，你不必报名去学习如何加强你的精神智商。以下几个简单的方法就可帮你达到理解的新境界：

  静坐培养 精神智商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节奏，使纷繁嘈杂的生活平静下来，迫使自己放下一切事务。逐渐为每一天创造一段安静的时间。在开车时，用一些时间思考，而不是打开收音机。在工作时，不妨利用会议间歇关上办公室的门，深吸几口气，然后缓缓地呼出。在家里，孩子上床后，独自细细地品位一下家里的宁静。

　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  对于许多人来说，大自然能给予他们精神上的自由，使他们对日常生活中烦心的事能用"风物长宜放眼量"的角度去看。

   出去观看美丽的日出。如果出门遛狗，可以留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，让天堂之光透射进来。找到一种自己喜爱的活动培养一种爱好对修身养性十分重要。例如：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 as"What 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 一些人在沉思中思考圣经中的语句。另一些人问自己一些随意的问题，如"我现在感觉怎样？我的选择是什么？我现在去往何处？"

   但是不要期望以超自然的电子邮件方式得到答案。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，很少立刻得到答案，但晚些时侯，我会突然从不曾考虑到的另一个角度去思考这个问题。"

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.

   相信自己的心灵 大多数人觉察危险是凭直觉。精神智商却常常引导我们去采取，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·鲍姆比切曾经有过的一个亲身体会，甚得教益。几年前，她签约写一本书却认为自己无法如约完成，就在她准备取消合同的前一天，她去了一个工艺品交易市场。在那儿，她看到了一张照片，照片上一个胖乎乎的小孩正打开一个珠宝盒，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，《如何"忍气吞声"而不会"消化不良"》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，如果看到了那蝴蝶，不要吃惊。