Emotional Intelligence: An essential skill that cannot be ignored for a successful life

While the IQ intelligence scale has occupied a significant space in recent years, the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) scale has emerged as a criterion that may be more important for individuals, especially in terms of their integration into society and achieving their goals. Therefore, in this article, we will shed light on the definition of emotional intelligence and its importance in each person’s life, especially as it has become a fundamental skill in the current time that cannot be overlooked for a successful professional, social, and personal life.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability of a person to understand the emotions they are experiencing at any given moment and consequently manage them consciously. Additionally, emotional intelligence requires understanding the emotions of others and their behaviors, thus controlling reactions towards them without passing judgment or taking things personally. The higher the emotional intelligence quotient, the better the individual’s relationship with themselves and with others.

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence

1- Emotional intelligence helps you understand your feelings well.

The idea of identifying the emotions one is experiencing may seem simple, but believe me, a significant number of people do not truly understand their feelings. For example, someone might act very irritably simply because they are feeling hungry. In this case, this person has not pinpointed the main reason behind their unsettled feeling, potentially leading to poor communication methods that could undermine relationships with those around them, when the underlying cause is actually very straightforward.

2- Higher emotional intelligence means achieving better goals.
If you are emotionally intelligent enough, it means you know well what brings you happiness and what motivates you. This is sufficient to enable you to carefully plan to achieve your dreams and goals that satisfy you, not anyone else. By this, I mean that an emotionally intelligent person listens to advice from others but may only apply what they feel suits them and aligns with their future view.

3- Emotional intelligence makes you a leader in your environment.
If you possess high emotional intelligence, leadership roles are suited for you. Why? Because emotional intelligence first enables you to understand the feelings and behaviors of employees, thereby knowing well what motivates them and how to interact with them. It also gives you the ability to solve problems smoothly. Additionally, your communication skills are highly developed, which helps you succeed as a team leader at work.

4- High emotional intelligence = getting what you want calmly.

Be sure that being calm and acting rationally indicates high emotional intelligence. For example, if you encounter an issue with an online order from a store, you have two solutions: the first is to shout and communicate with the store aggressively, resulting in their negative response towards you. The second, and better solution that demonstrates high emotional intelligence, is to calmly express your concerns and explain your perspective. By using this approach, the store owners are likely to respond positively and resolve the issue with your order.

Wait, are you still wondering what if the issue isn’t resolved when dealing calmly with them? Simply, you stop dealing with them respectfully for yourself and for them, because in the first scenario, I don’t think your relationship will continue after the fight that occurred!

5-Higher emotional intelligence means less stress and anxiety.
It can be said that you will live a happy, peaceful life with less worry and stress simply by enjoying emotional intelligence. Therefore, your ability to control your emotions and reactions will reduce problems in your life, making you calmer. Additionally, your ability to solve problems or even the skill of good communication and seeking help will positively impact reducing anxiety and stress.

How to develop emotional intelligence

The good news is that emotional intelligence can be acquired and developed. If you want to enhance your emotional intelligence, follow these tips:

• Increase your self-awareness and connect every reaction you have with the true feeling behind it.
• Don’t give up or criticize yourself; experiencing moments of losing control, such as being nervous, is natural. Therefore, love yourself and help yourself develop this skill gradually, even if it takes some time and patience.
• Count to 10! Yes, this phrase may sound cliché, but it means pausing before reacting. In reality, this step will help you calm down and think before acting.
• Practice perspective-taking, which means delivering the message you want to convey in a respectful and kind manner without hurting anyone.
• Remember, flexibility is control. With good communication and understanding others, or simply acting with high emotional intelligence, you will be able to achieve what you want in a smoother manner.

Emotional Intelligence Test
There are many emotional intelligence tests, but generally, it suffices to form a clear idea about emotional intelligence through this article. The rest will be easy for you to determine whether your behavior indicates emotional intelligence or not. In short, understanding emotions, controlling them and the actions they may lead to, good communication with others in a way that does not harm them and helps you achieve your goal, solving problems wisely, and other such matters indicate emotional intelligence.