Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

In laymen’s terms, Emotional Intelligence is the ability to make emotions work for us, instead of against us.
 
Daniel Goleman introduced the concept of emotional intelligence in 1995.  For twenty-five years, emotional intelligence [EQ] has been at the forefront of theories on leadership and success. 
 
According to Justin Bariso, Author of EQ Applied, EQ greatly influences how society thinks about emotions and human behavior.  Mr. Bariso believes EQ appears in the real-world actions of those who practice the concept and shares exercises to build this acumen:  
 
Pause: The pause is as simple as taking a moment to stop and think before you speak or act.  Easy in theory, difficult in practice!  Pausing helps you refrain from making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.
 
Strive to Control Thoughts:  Human beings do not have control over the emotions experienced in a given moment.  Reactions to those emotions is where our control lies.  By striving to control your thoughts, you can resist becoming a slave to your emotions, allowing yourself to live… in harmony with your goals and values.    
 
Demonstrate Empathy:  Understanding others thoughts and feelings helps you connect with others.  Instead of judging or labeling… work hard to see things through their eyes. Empathy… does not mean agreeing with another’s point of view… rather… striving to understand.
 
Show Authenticity:  Mean what you say… do what you say… and stick to personal values and principles above all else.
 
Praise Others:  All humans crave acknowledgement and appreciation.  When we commend others, we satisfy that craving and build trust.
 
Apologize:  It takes strength and courage to say “I’m sorry…”  and, doing so demonstrates humility.  EQ helps us realize that apologizing does not always mean you are wrong, but places relationship value above…ego.   
 
Think about feelings – Awareness begins with reflection.  Pondering questions like, What are my emotional strengths?  Weaknesses? How does my current mood affect my thoughts and decision making? What is going on under the surface that influences what others say or do?  
 
The ability to recognize emotions and their impact in both yourself and others is emotional intelligence.  
 
“When an awareness is brought to an emotion, power is brought to your life!”  -Tara Meyer Robson
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 at 4:05 pm. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.