I sat in my office, staring at the mega-can of Red Bull in front of me, wondering what the hell “emotional intelligence” even meant. I mean, I knew it had something to do with feelings and stuff, but what was the point? Why do we need to be emotionally intelligent?
As I popped the tab on the Red Bull and took a long swig, it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, emotional intelligence was actually kind of important. After all, I’d always been the type of guy who wore his heart on his sleeve and let his emotions lead him astray, which got me into a lot of trouble. Maybe it was time to start thinking about things a little more rationally and learning how to control my feelings.
So I set out on a mission to understand this mysterious concept of emotional intelligence. And what I found was that it’s all about being able to recognize and understand your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It’s about being able to use that understanding to make better decisions and communicate more effectively with others.
In other words, emotional intelligence is about being able to keep your cool when things get heated and not letting your emotions cloud your judgement. It’s about being able to empathize with others and really listen to what they have to say, even if you don’t agree with them.
As I thought about it more, I realized that emotional intelligence is actually a pretty important quality to have. It can help you build stronger relationships with others and be more successful in your personal and professional life. It can even improve your physical health and overall well-being.
But here’s the thing: emotional intelligence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you have to work on and develop over time. It takes practice and effort to learn how to recognize and manage your emotions, as well as how to effectively communicate with others.
So if you’re feeling like a hot mess, constantly letting your emotions get the best of you, maybe it’s time to start working on your emotional intelligence. It might not be the most exciting journey, but trust me, it’s worth it. And who knows, maybe one day you’ll be able to sit in your office, staring at a can of Red Bull, and feel like you’ve got a handle on your feelings.
All jokes aside, here’s an emotional intelligence questionnaire you can use as a self-reflection exercise. This is not a test to see how much you know about emotional intelligence, so answer each question as authentically as you can.
So hopefully now you have a sense of where you might need to make any adjustments in order to increase your emotional intelligence. If you want to take a deeper dive into emotional intelligence, I’d recommend you read Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ