Emotional Intelligence

We all have different traits, needs, desires, and ways of expressing our emotions or feelings. Navigating through all these aspects takes cleverness and tact, especially when you want to succeed in life. At this point is where emotional intelligence becomes essential.

We know of some people who can interact with another person and immediately make the other person feel special. These people will never be aware that they are appropriately applying their emotional intelligence abilities. It has been discovered that sensitive information is always far much critical than the intellect (IQ) and it can be enhanced later in a person with the appropriate supportive skills.

The Ingredients of Emotional Intelligence:

• Self-awareness: The cornerstone of emotional intelligence - a capacity to recognize your feelings as they occur
• Emotional control: An ability to manage your emotional reactions, control impulse, and to recover from life’s upsets
• Self-motivation: Skill at using your emotions in the service of a goal, staying hopeful despite setbacks
• Empathy: Emotional sensitivity to others; a talent for tuning into others’ feelings, and reading their unspoken messages
• Handling relationships: Grace in dealing with others - strong social skills are the key to popularity, leadership, and interpersonal effectiveness

How do you measure up?

Science shows that we each have a basic temperament with emotional “set points” for each of these capacities...but that’s not the whole story.

The brain is extraordinarily flexible. Your initial strengths and weaknesses may be determined by your brain circuitry, but each of these five skills can be improved.

Through conscious effort and learning, we can increase our emotional intelligence at any age.