Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. EQ might actually be more important than IQ, recent studies have shown. One can be as brainy as Sherlock Holmes but as long as one does not have the emotional skills to get by, they will never win at life. Because being aware of your own mental state and the people around you is essential to building a balanced life.
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We need to develop a few qualities to improve our emotional intelligence and then reap the benefits. Our emotions drive our behavior and impact our actions as well as others’. Learning how to manage emotions is paramount for a higher quality of life and thus continuously fostering your EQ will bring positive effects on your relationships, decision-making or identification of opportunities.
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Here are the basic qualities you need to improve your emotional intelligence:
1. Empathy
To put yourself in someone else’s shoes and attempt to figure out exactly how they’re feeling, that is empathy. It can be cultivated and learned through experiences. Once you can sense the other person’s mood and mental state, your interaction will unfold smoothly and genuinely.
2. Self-awareness
Understanding yourself is critical as it affects your ability to control any situation you’re faced with. The way you see yourself and the way we perceive others to see us is truly important as it influences our way of life. Being curious about oneself and demanding feedback is a great way to develop and increase your self-awareness.
3. Curiosity
Curiosity goes a long way. Led by curiosity, one can end up pretty far, climbing the ladder of success in a more facile way than years of study and hard work in a particular field. Einstein once said: “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
Cultivating these three qualities is a great start to grow your EQ. Please share this!
