The Attitude Doc- Emotional Intelligence Articles

We live in a world that qualifies and quantifies everything from grade of food to job performance. Degrees are available in most any arena and they are touted as essential for our success—well, at least financial success. But, what about a degree in happiness, self-awareness, altruism, motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be loved by friends, partners, and family members?

A few years ago, Daniel Goleman introduced Emotional Intelligence, the concept that makes the case for a move away from quantifying intelligence by I.Q. alone, and insists that a stronger, even the strongest indicator of our success is Emotional Intelligence. His work clarified that our self-awareness, happiness, level of motivation and the quality of our relationships has more to do with emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence Quotient) than anything we have previously measured.

However, the condition of our lives, even society itself, indicates that many of us have failed to attain competency in that arena. Instead, we have hustled and bustled, searched for meaning under every rock and in all nooks and crannies and come up with every solution, every degree and excuse possible, except the most logical—emotional intelligence.

It’s not too late. Along with your M.D., M.S.W., Ph.D., B.A., and B.S., how about adding E.I.?

Before you make a decision for emotional intelligence however, you might ask yourself how emotional intelligence would benefit your life. What would it mean to be emotionally intelligent? It would make all the difference in the world to the quality of your life—that’s what it would mean. What we think and feel is what we wake up with in the morning, what we take to work with us, what we give to our families and friends. It is the difference behind truly living or simply adapting to circumstances. In fact, everything we do is an indication of how emotionally savvy we are. Ask yourself:

• Are my relationships alive and dynamic?
• Am I living my dream?
• Can I bounce back after disaster or will I fold and give up?
• Do I care as much about my friends’ and neighbors’ successes and well-being as I do about my own, and do I demonstrate that?
• How do I define success? Is it money, possessions, a nice house in the right neighborhood, my degree in medicine or social work, etc.?

The list of questions we can ask ourselves to determine where we are on the emotional intelligence scale is a long one, and there are even tests to measure it, but the best indicator is the quality of our own lives and how happy we are.

So if you think you’ve missed out—that no one gave you the needed tools for achieving your degree in emotional intelligence, no worries! Emotional intelligence is not written in stone at conception, forever unalterable—we can learn about emotional intelligence today, regardless of our age. Whatever level of emotional intelligence we currently find ourselves in is the perfect starting point to evolve to greater heights of awareness and happiness.

Today, choose to get the degree that really matters, the degree that defines the success of all other degrees, and the one that will turn your life around—a degree in emotional intelligence. You’ll be on higher ground before you know it, and the great news is, your emotional intelligence degree is free!