Emotional Checkpoint – Benefits and Practical Applications
This is the final post in the emotional checkpoint series. You can access all of the other posts here:
Emotional Checkpoint – Developing Awareness
Emotional Checkpoint – Challenging Beliefs
Using our Emotions to Our Advantage – Fear
Using our Emotions to Our Advantage – Anger
Awareness
Developing awareness of your emotions is the first and hardest step on the journey to developing your emotional intelligence.
Once your emotions are brought in to the light of your consciousness, you can start to take responsibility for managing your emotional response to situations; choosing if you want to engage your emotions and use them to your advantage or, if you want, to simply watch them drift on by with full knowledge and acceptance of their existence.
The more you develop awareness of your own emotions, the more you will be able to use the same skills to enhance your social interactions and relationships. Becoming aware of other people’s emotions by reading the verbal and nonverbal cues will enable you to communicate more clearly, manage conflict more effectively and to develop a deeper sense of empathy for others.
Acceptance
All of this is possible because an emotionally intelligent person accepts themselves for who they are. This inner calmness and acceptance will be reflected through your behaviours and your interactions with others.
Emotional intelligence is fundamentally about learning to embrace and work with our emotions by removing any fears we hold about ourselves and what may happen if we express ourselves honestly and openly.
Once we know that we are not our emotions, it does not matter what emotions surface; this is because we know we have the power of choice to select what emotions we actually want to feel and act upon.
The stronger the emotions are that we can manage in this way, the more emotionally intelligent we are.
Bruce
Consider Bruce Lee; he was a pretty accomplished marshal artist, some may say, the best that has ever lived. Bruce would not have any issues being thrown in to a combat situation because his system of Jeet Kune Do incorporated the very best elements from a wide range of other martial arts. He reapplied the wheel rather than reinventing it, so that he could develop a system to handle all eventualities. Brue Lee was a master of adaptability.
The practice of working to embrace and manage all the extremes of our emotions strengthens us with the resilience and adaptability to deal with all of life’s challenges. Think of your emotional awareness practice like Jeet Kune Do for the mind; all emotions have value when expressed effectively.
All of our minds are unique and only you can be the Bruce of your mind. You just need to look inside and discover.
The best way to prepare for future adversity, is to learn to overcome it in the present moment.
Emotions Empower Relationships
Emotional intelligence underpins the quality of relationships we hold with ourselves and the rest of the universe. It is a growth area that will amplify the effect and rate of growth in all other areas of our lives.
If you are looking for a superfood to help your river of vitality grow, well, this is it.
The beauty is too, that emotional intelligence holds the secret to your off switch. No more misdirection and using destructive habits like eating junk food and drinking alcohol to switch yourself off; all you will need to do is put the horse back in the stable.
Enjoy, for now.