This Makes or Breaks your Life
Have you heard of Emotional Intelligence?
It’s been said that this one skill has the ability to make or break your life. With it, you can build success, develop healthy relationships and enjoy life. Without it, you will experience pain, heartache and hardships.
I’m not saying being emotionally intelligent protects you from hardships, or that you’re immune to pain, but you’ll be emotionally strengthened to weather the storms of life without them destroying you.
Those who are emotionally weak struggle. Those who lack emotional intelligence have weak relationships.
This results in a less fulfilling life.
Interesting discovery… fulfilled is defined as being satisfied or happy because of fully developing one's abilities or character.
It means you are content, satisfied, happy, at peace, pleased with life and untroubled.
Well, the only way you can life in peace and be untroubled is if you know how to develop peace within. Peace within makes you able to work though difficulties without. Knowing how to calm yourself and work through conflict tactfully results in happier people, healthier relationships and a more favourable outcome.
I think it’s fair to say that everyone desires to be fulfilled.
Unfortunately, many want results but few are willing to develop the skills to get them.
Where did Emotional Intelligence Come From?
Emotional Intelligence is a term created by Peter Salavoy and John Mayer. Made popular by Dan Goleman in his 1996 book “Emotional Intelligence.”
I’ve not actually read this book and I know very little about Dan Goleman, so, although I’m sure this book would be filled with valuable information I cannot give you a first hand recommendation of it.
I simply stumbled upon this term during my years ago during my studies on human behaviour, and since this term is widely used and accepted its made further study on these topics faster and easier to come by.
Emotional Intelligence is defined as…
Being emotionally intelligent allows you to adjust your emotions, or adapt to an environment in such a way that’ll help you achieve a goal. It boils down to having self-control and being able to respond to others in love, both skills help you achieve different goals.
You could say, being emotionally intelligence gives you the ability to act in a mature, responsible, effective way, while gently, respectfully and tactfully influencing others in a healthy, positive manner.
Depending on how emotionally intelligent you are will determine how you…
View the world
Express yourself
Relate to others
Develop relationships
Deal with challenges
Mange Stress
Make decisions
Your emotional intelligence guides and directs almost every aspect of your life. Although emotional intelligence is a modern term, the principles themselves are as ancient as scripture.
I see it as character development.
In fact, it could be said that being emotionally intelligent is being developed in the fruit of the spirit.
Striking Correlations
Let’s examine the fruits?
Love - Showing concern, compassion and care for others.
Joy - A deep sense of satisfaction with an enthusiastic outlook about life.
Peace - Inner contentment resulting in being composed and well balanced.
Patience - Having the restraint to wait and endure with a positive attitude.
Kindness - Being thoughtful, hospitable and having a friendly disposition.
Goodness - Genuine goodwill, purity in thoughts and honourable integrity.
Faithfulness - Having a “stick-to-it” attitude of steadfastness and consistency.
Gentleness - Staying calm, speaking softly and having a mild tone in your voice.
Self-control - Being mindful of and having the inner-strength to direct your emotions tactfully.
These qualities are easy to have when everything is going our way and everyone is on good terms. A true test of character (and inner-strength) is being able to display these qualities when things don’t go as planned.
Can you show restraint when you’re angry of offended?
Can you maintain a calm disposition when anger is being flung at you?
Can you speak gently and intentionally when you are offended and justified?
This is a true sign that you’re emotionally intelligent.
“Sensible people control their temper and earn respect by overlooking wrongs” Proverbs 19:11 NLT
“Make allowance for faults and forgive those who offend you.” Colossians 3:13 NLT
“People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” Proverbs 14:29 NLT
“Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.” Proverbs 16:32 NLT
“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Proverbs 15:1 NLT
Wowzers-trousers, that’s powerful right here.
Let’s continue…
It has been said that a happy marriage is one of the greatest sources of fulfillment one can experience. Makes sense. If your marriage is fruitful, it’ll bring you happiness. If your marriage is struggling, it’ll cause frustration and discomfort.
Being able to communicate well during times of conflict plays a crucial role in building happy, healthy homes. So I created a free guide to help.
Free Guide: 3 Ways to Kill conflict in Your Home
If managing yourself and managing others is the path to a happy, fulfilled life, then shouldn’t you be eager to develop these skills?
This is why I’ve created Inner-Strength Training Academy, and online education center that helps motivated folks build happy homes and healthy lives by becoming emotionally strong and relationally stable.
Pick up your free guide and watch your inbox because I’ll be sharing valuable resources and information to help you on the journey.
Free Guide: 3 Ways to Kill conflict in Your Home
