Tech & AI LIVE London: Ali Farahani Mental Fitness Keynote
During his keynote at Tech & AI LIVE London, Ali Farahani, Head of CIO Strategic PMO at FIEGE, delivered an engaging presentation titled “You’ve Been Hijacked and You Don’t Even Know It,” focusing on mental fitness and positive intelligence.
Ali begins by questioning the audience: “Do you control your brain, or does it control you?” He introduces the idea of mental hijacking, where negative emotions and stress lead to poor decision-making and self-doubt.
Ali’s session highlights that this hijacking occurs when the left side of the brain, associated with fear, guilt, anger, and insecurity, takes over, preventing individuals from accessing the higher brain functions related to empathy, creativity, and purpose.
“When we operate from the left brain, we might achieve success, but not happiness,” he explains, setting the stage for why mental fitness is crucial."
Positive intelligence and the power of the sage perspective
Ali bases much of his talk on the work of Shirzad Chamine, the author of Positive Intelligence. He describes Chamine’s research into neuroscience, cognitive behavioural psychology, and positive psychology, which led to the concept of positive intelligence—a measure of the mind’s ability to stay in a positive state.
Ali explains that negative emotions are triggered by what he termed “saboteurs,” which are patterns in the left brain that undermine rational thinking and lead to stress and self-criticism.
According to Ali, the key to overcoming these saboteurs lies in activating the “sage perspective,” which resides in the right side of the brain.
He describes the sage perspective as the ability to find a gift or opportunity in every situation, no matter how difficult it may appear. He illustrates this with a story of a Chinese farmer, whose experiences demonstrate that events, whether perceived as good or bad, can always be reframed positively.
Identifying saboteurs and building mental muscles
Ali explains that saboteurs often masquerade as strengths, making it challenging to recognise them. He lists common saboteurs like the controller, hyper-achiever, stickler, victim, and hyper-rational, noting that the most pervasive of all is the “judge.”
This saboteur judges oneself, others, and circumstances, leading to blame and resentment. He stresses that the first step towards positive intelligence is identifying these saboteurs and recognising when they are at work.
To build resilience against mental hijacking, Ali outlines three key “mental muscles”:
- The Saboteur Interceptor Muscle: This involves becoming aware of saboteurs at the moment, using tools like an assessment test to identify personal saboteurs.
- The Sage Muscle: This muscle helps individuals shift to the sage perspective and see challenges as opportunities.
- The Self-Command Muscle: Farahani introduced techniques like gently rubbing fingertips to help individuals regain focus and rewire their brains for positive thinking.
He demonstrates a simple exercise of rubbing fingertips with full attention, explaining that such small actions can help shift focus away from negative emotions and activate the right brain’s neural circuits.
“When you reach a high level of mental fitness, it only takes ten seconds to break free from hijacking,” he notes.
Practical steps for lasting mental fitness
Ali offers practical advice for developing mental fitness, urging the audience to stop and reflect whenever negative emotions arise. He recommends pausing before reacting, using self-command exercises, and then approaching challenges with curiosity, creativity, and empathy.
“The key is to focus on the positive hormones and keep the saboteurs at bay,” he emphasises.
Ali explains that the journey to mental fitness is similar to physical training—it requires consistent effort and practice over time. He encourages the audience to dedicate at least 15 minutes daily to building these mental muscles and practising new habits for six to eight weeks to see lasting changes.
Ali Farahani’s session introduced the concept of positive intelligence and mental fitness as powerful tools for improving leadership and personal well-being. By recognising and intercepting negative saboteurs, embracing the sage perspective, and building mental muscles, individuals can rewire their brains for resilience and unlock higher levels of success and happiness.
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