disease—consider the fact that
today, even teenagers are being
diagnosed with early-stage heart
disease and type 2 diabetes—that is
poised to wreak economic and social
havoc in the next few decades.
How can we help ourselves and our
clients shift from rapidly wearing
out our hardworking human genes
to getting them to sing, dance and
even roar? Given the immense
diversity and complexity of the
human genome, it’s not surprising
that an individual can spend an
entire lifetime figuring out how
to get his or her genes to thrive.
Professional coaches can accelerate
this experimental process by
helping people better engage a set
of primary capacities or needs that
have been shown by researchers
to be vital to human well-being (see
graphic on opposite page). Let’s take
a quick tour.
1. Mindfulness
A good starting point is to begin
tuning into the signals sent by our
genes, which work ceaselessly to get
our attention. Negative emotions
and physical sensations indicate that
some needs of our genes are not
being met, while positive emotions
and physical sensations are signs
that some needs of our genes are
being met. Not only is emotional
intelligence a vital skill for emotional
thriving, so is what my collaborator,
psychologist Jim Gavin, and I deem
body intelligence: the awareness of,
knowledge of and engagement in
health habits that generate physical
energy and thriving.
To develop emotional and body
intelligence, simply move your
conscious attention into a ‘brainset’
Harvard psychologist Shelley Carson
calls the “mindful absorb” brain state
(shown at right).
Note that the prefrontal cortex
(top of drawing) is blue, signifying
cold. In this mindful brain state
you are not thinking, analyzing or
planning; instead, attention moves
deep and back into the sensory, or
“experiencing,” brain regions. Regular
visits to this brain state increase
awareness of whether you are
moving toward or away from thriving
in a given moment and over time.
one’s own drummer—is a primary
organismic need. To thrive, we
need to be authentic and author
a life aligned with our values.
Autonomous motivation that taps
into one’s life force is not only a
standalone force for thriving, it is
the type of motivation that enables
elusive habits, including healthy
eating, exercise, and weight loss and
maintenance, to be sustained. It is a
far superior fuel source to external
motivators, such as incentives,
prizes, or the fear-based “stick” of
external or internal critics.
4. Making Meaning
and Purpose
2. Body Regulation
Along with all living organisms,
humans have a primary need for a
healthy and calm equilibrium of our
physiological systems—a need to
move from chaos to homeostasis,
over and over. As Stephen W. Porges
outlines in his polyvagal theory, our
bodies seek a balance of exertion
with rest and recharge. They strive
for homeostasis, stability and a
healthy autonomic nervous system,
balancing sympathetic (stress) and
parasympathetic (rest and recovery)
activity. Listening to the body’s
signals tells us when it’s time to calm
the nervous system, which calms the
mind and improves brain function
in the short term and delays disease
and death in the long term.
3. Autonomy
Psychologists Edward L. Deci and
Richard M. Ryan, who have studied
human motivation for three decades
leading to their robust theory of
self-determination, conclude that
autonomy—the drive to march to
Clinical psychologist Paul Wong is the
most passionate spokesperson for
the importance of making meaning
and purpose beyond oneself in
each moment, in each domain of life
and over the arc of a lifetime. In his
forthcoming chapter, “Viktor Frankl’s
Meaning Seeking Model and Positive
Psychology,” he keeps alive the
legendary psychiatrist and Holocaust
survivor’s story, told in “Man’s Search
for Meaning,” of how an unshakable
purpose was essential to surviving
four concentration camps. A sense
of a higher purpose is a potent
source of life fuel, especially when
times are tough. For example, a
team of researchers at Chicago’s
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center
and Rush University Medical Center
found that a sense of life purpose
significantly improves cognitive
function in people with Alzheimer’s
disease. Meanwhile, Barbara
Fredrickson and Steve Cole made
scientific headlines in 2013 with their
experiment showing that people
with a low level of life purpose had
three impaired gene pathways in
their immune systems, while people
with a high level of life purpose had
healthy gene expression of their
immune systems. Our genes appear
to reward us for being connected
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >
Coaching World 19