Transform Your Life: Master These 6 Essential Emotional Intelligence Skills Today!

30 July 2024

Emotional intelligence is widely esteemed as a superior predictor of success compared to pure intelligence. In numerous instances, your level of intelligence doesn’t determine success. We’ve all met persons with average intelligence who have achieved remarkable success. The trope of the struggling genius is all too familiar. There’s a vast expanse beyond the ability to solve calculus problems mentally. Good decision-making, effective communication, nurturing positive relationships, and self-management often hold greater value and power than possessing a genius-level IQ.

Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence with These Strategies:

  1. Cultivate your skills as an exceptional listener. Reflect on the finest listener you know. It’s likely that you hold that individual in very high esteem. Listening is a rare talent that few are keen on revitalizing.

  • During your next conversation, notice what happens while you’re speaking. The other person is likely bored, distracted, and simply waiting to speak.

  • You’ll do much better with people and have fewer misunderstandings if you put all of your attention on the other person during a conversation. They’ll even think that you’re a great conversationalist. Try it and see!

  1. Pause before you respond. Reflect on those moments you wished you’d remained silent. Taking a moment to collect your thoughts can indeed be beneficial. By allowing yourself this time, you’ll find that you can save yourself much trouble, responding with wisdom or choosing not to respond at all.

  • Give yourself all the time you need to make an intelligent decision.

  1. Cultivate self-awareness. Few individuals truly understand themselves. We often have limited insight into how others see us or the impression we make. Consider how strange it feels to listen to a recording of your voice or to notice that you appear different in photographs than you imagined. This is just the tip of the iceberg!

  • It’s possible that you’re considerably more impolite or irritating than you realize. Perhaps you’re unintentionally dismissive towards others without even noticing it.

  • Ask someone you trust what they think your biggest problem is. You may be surprised by what you hear. You won’t like the answer, but you’ll know in your heart that it’s true.

  1. Discover the secrets to self-motivation. Life becomes remarkably simple when you develop the ability to push yourself to accomplish the tasks you know are necessary. Unfortunately, mastering self-motivation consistently remains a challenge for many of us.

  • You can avoid most of the drama life has to offer if you can simply do the things that need to be done, when they need to be done.

  • Consider why you procrastinate when faced with tasks that are unappealing to you. You’re going to have to do them eventually. Why not put yourself out of your misery as soon as possible and simply get them done?

  1. Examine your emotions. Pay attention to what you’re feeling as you feel it. Instead of reacting right away, take a moment to observe your emotions.

  • For example, if someone says something that irritates you, rather than reply in a hostile manner, ask yourself why you’re experiencing this emotion. What caused it? Is it reasonable? What is an intelligent way to respond?

  1. Be assertive. There are benefits to adopting an assertive approach. You stand a significantly higher chance of achieving your desired outcomes. Additionally, your intentions and needs become clearer to those around you. This eliminates any need for others to speculate about your expectations of them.

  • Your relationships will experience fewer misunderstandings if you are upfront with your feelings and concerns.

  • Emotional intelligence might be what you’re missing from your life. You can be goal-oriented, committed, and capable, but it’s difficult to rise above the level of your emotional intelligence.

How would you rate your emotional intelligence? In what areas could you improve? There are several books on the subject, and many contain diagnostic tests. This might be a great place to start.

Taking diagnostic tests from specialised books on emotional intelligence could further clarify your standing. These tests are designed to objectively measure your competencies and provide detailed feedback. Books like Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence” or Travis Bradberry’s “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” not only offer a comprehensive overview of what emotional intelligence entails but also feature assessments that can reveal your strengths and weaknesses. Such resources often provide actionable tips and strategies to build on your existing skills. By combining self-reflection with diagnostic tools and intentional practice, you can bolster your emotional intelligence, fostering better relationships and more effective personal and professional interactions.

How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence – Brendon Burchard