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📖 Quote of Today
“Passion is a feeling that follows action. It tends to be created or discovered, not predicted or planned. You don't find your passion. It finds you as you get in the mix and try things.“
☀️ Hello to all the awesome Little by Little readers! Here’s a small though from James Clear as well!
Life rewards action, not intelligence.
Many brilliant people talk themselves out of getting started, and being smart doesn't help very much without the courage to act.
You can't win if you're not in the game.
On with the newsletter, this is an emotional one 😉
⚡️Focus of Today
👀 Today, we're going to delve into something that touches every aspect of our lives yet often goes unnoticed: our emotions.
🧠 Now, before we say anything further, it is natural for us to think that getting in better shape involves better eating and doing exercise. Right? We rarely think about exercising one of the most important organs in our bodies, our brains.
📝 Every interaction, decision, and experience we have is colored by our emotional responses. Yet, how well do we truly understand these feelings that wield such influence? This is where Emotional Intelligence, or EI, comes into play.
🤔 Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions, as well as to empathize with the emotions displayed by others. But why is EI important? In our personal lives, EI can lead to healthier relationships, as we navigate our emotional responses and better relate to the feelings of others. At work, high EI can translate to improved collaboration and leadership, and an ability to handle pressure adeptly. It's the secret sauce that can make us more understanding parents, reliable friends, and resilient individuals.
🤗 So how can we enhance our Emotional Intelligence? Let's break it down into manageable steps...
Know Your Feelings: The first step to EI is understanding your own emotions. Try to notice what you're feeling throughout the day and why. 🤓
Describe Your Emotions: Use more words to explain your feelings. Instead of just saying you're happy or sad, could you be content, anxious, or excited? The more precisely we can name our emotions, the better we can understand and express them. 😭
Understand Others: Emotional intelligence is not only about our own feelings, but also about understanding other people's feelings. Try to imagine how others are feeling to practice empathy. 👫
Pause Before Acting: Try to take control over your emotions and not let them control you. When you feel a strong emotion, take a moment to understand it before you respond. 🤐
Manage Stress: Find ways to reduce stress. This could be deep breathing, taking a walk, or practicing mindfulness. If we can manage our emotions, we can manage our stress better. 😡 > 😅
Learn from Criticism: Try to see criticism as a chance to learn. It's not always easy, but it's a skill that can be improved with practice. 🥴
Set Emotional Boundaries: It's okay to avoid situations or people that upset you too much. It's important to take care of your emotional health. 😷
😤 Emotional intelligence is not just a talent; it's a skill that we can learn and get better at. By making small, regular efforts to improve our EI, we can build better relationships, make better decisions, and live a balanced, happy life. Remember, every step we take to understand our emotions better is progress. Let's start this journey together!
With love,
— Amir and Erik
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