If you have never come across the expression Emotional Intelligence then, you are in for a treat.

A recent report by Amy E Boren Phd confirms what many other learned institutes have been saying and that is

that Emotional intelligence is far  more important to entrepreneurial success than IQ.

I, for one, am over the moon about that.

Although I have never had my IQ measured I know that be it high or low, there is very little that I can do to improve it.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is not set in stone. You can improve on your current level whilst at the same time boosting your chance of success in business.

All good news.

The four major areas of Emotional Intelligence which I will mention briefly.  In later articles I will be looking in depth at how you can benefit from being aware of your EI and how to develop it.

The four areas are:

• perceiving emotions – often non verbal transmissions to and from yourself.
• Using emotions to facilitate thought – logic and reason are not separate from emotions in the brain
• Understanding emotions – both yours and those of clients and staff
• Managing emotions – dealing with emotions to maximise your effectiveness

Anyway that’s enough theory for now how about getting stuck into some basic steps on the way to mastering your EI.

• Emotional Intelligence was the result of work by Daniel Golman

5 Steps To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

One of the quickest ways to have problems with your emotional health is to take it for granted.

These days, many of us don’t pay as much attention to our emotional health as we should, whether it is because we undervalue it, focus on other things, or figure that if it was bad enough to worry about we would notice it.

The problem with this, is that emotional health problems don’t always come on all of a sudden. While a sudden trauma might upset your mental health in a hurry, problems are more often caused by gradual changes.

When change happens gradually, we are more likely to assume that things have always been that way, who can lead to potential problems going unaddressed. That’s why it’s important to practice emotional awareness all the time, not just when we already think that something is already wrong.

1.  1.  Ask Yourself How You Are Feeling

Being aware of our own emotions can be very similar to being aware of other people’s emotions. In addition to making us more able to avoid stress by making us more aware of emotional repercussions to various circumstances, we can check our own emotional wellness in much the same way that we the check emotional wellness of others: by asking.

When other people ask you how you are doing, it can be most efficient and polite to just say “okay” or “fine” but if you literally ask yourself you may reply with something a little more informative.

You don’t have to carry on a whole conversation with yourself, but if you ask yourself “How are you doing?” and you respond with “Well, I’ve been better,” it might be something to spend more time thinking about.

2. Be More Comfortable Talking About Your Own Feelings

Etiquette may have gotten in the way of our emotional awareness in another way: it keeps us from talking about ourselves, which may keep us from thinking about ourselves.

Consider stating how you feel with statements like “I’m glad to hear that,” or “that makes me frustrated.” This kind of talking about your own feelings helps you focus and think more about how you feel and how you react to things.

It will also help other people to understand how you are feeling.

It’s important to keep focused on the topic, however, as it can be carried away. When your “I’s” get too close together it can become rude, but it may also distort your outlook and lead you to think about yourself too much.

3. 3.Practice Mindfulness

Another great way to stay aware of your emotional wellness is through mindfulness.

This practice encourages you to be aware of your thoughts and feelings, as well as how they make you feel physically, particularly through tense muscles and changed breathing.

Many of these practices also include exercises that teach you to control your breathing and relax your muscles to decrease your level of stress and increase your emotional health.

Fortunately, mindfulness is increasing in popularity these days, so the internet is full of quality resources and mobile apps full of information and tools.

If you are concerned about trusting these resources, or just want to be sure that you are finding the best available resources, consider taking professional advice.

4. 4.  Meditate

Many people are reluctant to get into meditation because it often has religious connotations.

While the oldest forms of meditation are explicitly religious, more modern forms of meditation focus exclusively on the secular benefits of.

Related to but slightly different from mindfulness, mediation involves taking a part of the day, as little as a few minutes, to clear your mind.

Clearing your mind can bring its own benefits, although it is very difficult.

Recognizing what thoughts or feelings make it difficult to clear your mind can help you to recognize which things in your life are giving you the most trouble.

As was the case with mindfulness, there are a lot of great resources online regarding meditation.

5. 5.Write

Many people who write fiction find that they include aspects of their own lives in their stories and characters.

Writing yourself, especially fiction, can help you to express your feelings in a safe and healthy way.

Re-reading your own work can also help you to see your own experiences from a new perspective. This can help you to understand your feelings and can allow you to identify creative solutions to your problems

Final Thought on Emotional Intelligence

This is a large subject and one that I will revisit many times.

The next post includes a Questionnaire to help with self development, after all you have to know where you are before you can plan where you’re going.

If the thought of such “self honesty is disturbing to you then spare a thought for me. I will be sharing some of my answers to everyone.

If you want to ensure that you don’t miss this important series, then, sign up below for the email notification.