Would it surprise you if I suggested that I find many people, particularly men, tend to get confused about emotional intelligence?

They seem to be unsure of exactly what it is, how much they have of it, hopefully some, and whether it is at all useful.

Well, here’s a handful of indicators that can help you to identify your own specific affinity with emotional intelligence, with the aim of providing you with an insight of how precious a skill it actually represents.

It may be even more surprising to hear that emotional intelligence is now considered to be such an essential skill that if you don’t possess an awareness of its importance and use it in your everyday interactions it is likely to hamper your ability to succeed.

Why so?
Well, emotional intelligence is how accomplished you are at recognizing, using, understanding and managing your emotions.

It includes the ability you have to make decisions, especially when dealing with complex matters.

So, how would you know if you were communicating with somebody who had a high degree of emotional intelligence?

1. You possess an appetite for curiosity
Emotionally intelligent people consistently have a curiosity of everything around them.
This is a crucial quality because it lends itself to wanting to gain an understanding in what makes someone tick.
Given this desire it points to possessing empathy which is an important attribute of emotional intelligence.

2. You play to your strengths
It is always amazes me why it that so many of us insist on stating that “he or she pushes my buttons!”
Emotionally intelligent people seem to be far more aware of this incongruous sentiment and they tend to have removed the buttons!
This provides them with an enormous advantage since they are more at ease with themselves and others with the consequence that they generally remain composed irrespective of the difficulty in a situation.

3. Perfection is regarded as an irrelevant pursuit
What’s the point in pursuing something that simply doesn’t exist!
Unfortunately, so many people won’t start something if they feel they cannot produce something of perfection, or they never finish something unless they believe it is perfect.
Of course, the result is they rarely get what they would love to have.

4. Negative internal dialogue is avoided
A further surprising characteristic of many people is the vast amount of negative thinking they engage in habitually.
Self-talk is a catalyst for behavior and can be self-destructive since the limbic system is stimulated.
Unfortunately, self-talk is a catalyst for behavior.
What you tell yourself leads to how you feel and this in turn creates the platform for behavior.
Constantly carping internally and focusing on what is wrong with what is happening in an environment generally produces more negativity than is healthy for anybody.

5. You Embrace Change
Many people have a fear of change.
It can be seen as a threat.
Messing about with someone’s comfort zone is not something many people admire or welcome.
Change is welcomed by emotionally intelligent people.
They have the ability to adapt to most situations.
Emotionally intelligent people are flexible and rarely fazed by changing circumstances.

Once known these insights and knowledge can swiftly improve your ability to read people and become skilled at knowing the best way to respond in a difficult situation.