Importance of Emotional Quotient and Benefits of working on it

As an Educator, I have seen Parents really sweat about their children not performing. I think it is important to perform well in exams and in academics in general. But I really appreciate that over the years a lot of students have been encouraged to also focus on building themselves as individuals.

Simple Skills like Listening and Expressing oneself is so Important. A healthy and vibrant education system should also work on building the emotional Life of a person. Working on building ones EQ is as important as IQ.

As an Introvert or to be precise as an Introvert who does seem like one, The concept of Emotional Quotient can be a very useful tool in understanding oneself and others. It helps one see the importance of Feelings and subjective thinking in the way we understand life, concepts and also ourselves.

What is EQ?

Understanding ourselves and others

As a student of Management and Psychology, I would like to explore the concept of EQ. Emotional Quotient is a concept I learnt when I read a book by Daniel Goleman by the same name. My Uncle introduced me to this concept and Its quite a powerful tool.

A textbook definition of Emotional Quotient reads as "It is the ability to be in control emotions of oneself, others or a group". So as the definition suggests it can help you understand yourself and others. Like any ability practice and good understanding of the related concepts and exercises will help you get a better grasp on it. 

Let me share an experience of how EQ helped me, I pursued an MBA as I was interested in understanding how big and impossible tasks could be managed very successfully and seemingly easily. 

It really motivated me to pursue management as a subject. But I understood that besides understanding Management and related topics, I needed to express myself. The introvertedness was not the problem, Though I thought it was.

I needed to present myself and do public speaking. This really made me scared. After reflecting on the problem I understood that rather than introvertedness, it was shyness that was the issue. 

I began to see that I never knew of techniques and methods to deliver a good speech. Some people had these abilities naturally, for me it was not a part of my mental make. To make a long story short I had to learn Public speaking and really enjoyed my MBA.

Sometimes we don't realise that understanding ourselves can also help us in dealing with issues and it also helps us in helping others.

Emotional Quotient or even building your Intelligence requires constant working. So do grab the Book by Daniel Goleman  (Not an Affiliate Link...I don't earn anything on this link) on this topic for a thorough study on the topic.

But to share in brief some quick ideas on EQ, Some important components of EQ would be Self awareness, Self Management, Social awareness and Relationship management.

Self Awareness would be trying to understand one's thinking and moods.

Self management would be recognising your own emotions and how they affect others.

Social Awareness as the name suggest will focus on how we build rapport with others. So that would mean things like understanding others, learning to be socially comfortable etc.

Lastly Relationship Management will deal with building good relationships. This has many personal and work related applications.

As you can see this is a really powerful concept. Now let's jump into why this matters and how this is going to help you. Before I continue I am not getting any Affiliate Mullah or Money for promoting this book. It's just that the book is really useful.

The Benefits

Benefits of EQ

Key Tools for building a Strong EQ

FEAR- False Expectations Appearing Real

Conclusion

Time is one of our most precious resources

Staying at home has got more busier than ever. Housework can be so tedious, can't imagine how our domestic helps manage all this and then go back home to their families. 

They are like angels, A lot of times we fail to appreciate the simple things that life can bless us with.

Today I am going to share ideas and thoughts on one of such resources. This Resource is the most valuable. People think it is in abundance and they trade it like there is a lot of it. 

That resource is time. Only if all knew the amount of time we have allotted to us, life would be very different.

Time and Timing are really two powerful ideas. One is a resource and the other is a strategy. Time Management thus becomes important, But today I want to explore the 'Why'.

Exploring the 'Why' 

Our strategies would be incomplete if it is completely divorced from time.

 

I think wages for time and expertise is something most of us can relate to whether we are employed or employing others. 

A lot of our aspirations require time, For example if you want to lose your weight. It could take a lot of time. Starting a business completing or getting a degree also takes time.

Our concern with results requires us to make decisions in time. Thus our strategies in utilizing time is critical. Our strategies would be incomplete if it is completely divorced from time.

It would be lost to irrelevance. Time thus can said to be a very important resource. Often Leisure can get a bad name as it can be mistaken as an activity to misuse time. But Leisure in itself is harmless, it utilizes our spare time to bring a certain kind of refreshment and enjoyment to our lives. Like anything important and good it can also be misused.

But this is the way we master things by our hits and misses. So managing this important resource time becomes important. We can utilise it for earning a living, leisure or achieving a goal. But all of these ventures require fruitful utilization of our goals and this important resource called 'Time'.

Some ideas to consider

Prepared Mind with Useful actions

So we must not waste time they say, But how about wasting some of it to manage it more effectively. 

Like any thing that needs to be managed we must direct it a specific end or purpose.  We should able to detect when we are wasting it and when we are utilising it.

So Clarity in effective Time Management can start with knowing when we are wasting it and having some guidelines to effectively know when we are not using it properly. We could grade our tasks accordingly, in keeping our goals in mind.

Time management I believe besides being a system is an art that needs to be mastered.

Time makes your dreams* a reality

via GIPHY

I believe that when we use Time effectively we can help us lead a more fulfilling life. This is what I mean by Dreams i.e. Aspirations that take a form or reality in our lives.

Time utilised properly means doing tasks and paying attention to certain goals. Eventually they are achieved by going through a series of successes and failures. 

There is no magic here, but successful utilisation of a Powerful Resource. So in a sense Time is the only resource we must be thrifty about.

Time is Precious

via GIPHY

I believe its a normal feeling to be reminiscing our childhood days. The fun we had in school. How simple life seemed when we were in school...But it would not be realistic to expect someone to turn back time.

This is how irreplaceable and precious time is. Instead of hoping and praying for the gift of bilocation, sensibly we can use Time Management. Doing one thing at a time properly and strategically to enjoy and achieve our goals successfully.

We must not think of Time Management as something we do alone, we hire and delegate others to help us achieve our goals. 

For example, If you want to a healthy diet. Consult a dietician and get a cook or recipe to have the necessary healthy meals required. Join a group of people who into weight loss and get the support required. 

Of course, This is just an example...But the thing is that Time Management doesn't need to be individualistic. 

Team up and be flexible. Being rigid in my experience has only made feel hopeless and eventually give up. Incorporating a bit of flexibility has helped a great deal.

Starting with Effective Time Management

I am sure there many good resources on Time Management, I plan to create a useful resource too (Would be available soon...Check this space soon!). But for now, I think we need to have good reasons for effectively implementing Time Management.

For starters, Time is a resource that we only have a limited quota of. For most of us we do not know how much. This is not that bad.

We must keep in mind that most of our goals and aspirations require time to achieve. Teaming up with people is an important aspect of being Effective Time Management.

Of course there are many other skills required. But I think focus on the right reasons are highly essential for effective Time Management.

One concrete way to start could be by Journaling your successes and failures to implement Time Management. 

Conclusion

So wrapping up, Reasons there are plenty, But focus on the important things can keep us grounded. I believe Time is too precious and each moment unique.

Right Thought and Effective Management always requires proper systems and structure, but focus on the reasons cannot be traded to be effective.

I would like to end this article with this powerful quote, 

Time is precious

I wish you the best of  health and fulfilling life. 

Please share and comment on this article with your valuable feedback.

Further Reading

Things not to do when things get difficult

Preparing a Gratitude Journal

Life beyond Boredom

Practicing Resourcefulness

• Create a Blog
• Learn video editing
• Create your first Vlog
• Watch some interesting TED talk videos
• Write a business plan
• Do some free courses online
• Try some of the D.I.Y. recipes you see on Facebook
• Pick up some culinary skills
• Review videos on YouTube and post them
• Share my articles & like my Facebook Page
• Give positive feedback to people who made a difference in your life
• Stay at home and meditate
• Read books on Investments and Entrepreneurship
• Play Indoor Games
• Doodle and post them on Instagram
• Clean your cupboards and tidy up your room
• Do Binge watching (YouTube & Netflix)
• Catch up on some conspiracy theories
• Yoga
• Listen to Music
• Explore Reddit

Startup Mindset is important to be Successful, 5 interesting points from an Educator

Is Startup just a Buzz word?

A Startup's mindset is not always about the profit motive

1. Being Action-oriented

Massive Action

2. Moving away from Perfectionism

3. Always being ready

4. The Compounding Effect

5. Uncovering the Reasons

Having a Strong Foundation

Conclusion

Further Reading

Learn how to Self brand by Using Simple Branding Techniques

Simple Plan to achieving your New Year's Resolution

How taking a short break helped me blog better?

Working on your dreams is important

Life, Leadership Coaches, and old Dreams

John Maxwell is one of my favorite leadership coaches. I was listening yesterday to one of his podcasts. It was on achieving your dreams.

It reminded me of one of the life-changing decisions I had to make to quit Theater and settle down. 

John Maxwell is one of my Favorite Leadership coaches

I do miss Theater and acting, but having a family is a thing of its own. Sometimes quitting is an art. 

But today's blog post as the blog title suggests is not on the art of quitting. It's on achieving your dreams.

Read this article

Our Childhood Dreams

Children are so hopeful and positive

Think about it, we all have had some fantasy or dream that we wanted to achieve. We wanted to see it become a reality. 

For some of us, it may hold true that our dream has come to the past. 

But for most of us why do we not see our dreams becoming true.

One Simple Solution

When I heard the solution, it made me realize why people or even myself may have decided to give up on some of our dreams. 

What were the reasons or situations? Was it the difficulties that made us give up. I am sure each of us can know it for ourselves. 

According to John Maxwell, the reason that people leave is pretty simple. People do not have enough reasons to continue. 

We run out of enough reasons to hold on and fighting for what we believe we deserve or want. 

The path to achieving our goals is always faced with challenges or difficulties of its own.

Read this article

Enough Reasons to Pursue your Dreams

Reasons keep us grounded. They fix us on the path to achieving our goals.  

So an important aspect of achieving goals is having enough reasons. 

These reasons must be powerful and must be something that pulls us through our challenges.

So do you have goals? Do you have reasons that ground you? 

Goals that are worth pursuing that have challenges and of course good reasons.

This insight has been quite powerful to me. 

It has helped me realize that besides hard work and good planning in life. 

It is also important to have good reasons.

Putting it to the Test

So what do we do with this new information? Of course, we must use it. 

You could start by taking some time out of our schedule and focusing on some of the goals that you are pursuing.

Try listing down reasons that you find these goals worth pursuing.

Next Step, Evaluate the reasons that you have written and chosen. 

Choose Five reasons from the list.

Remember these reasons when you need some motivation. 

What are your reasons to hold on to your dreams?

Conclusion

Please do join our FB community...Click Here!

John Maxwell Leadership Podcast

P.S. Note: Please note these are not Affiliate links. I am just sharing a resource I find very insightful and useful.

Context and Backstory matter in communication and Life

In an argument, Have you had the feeling that you have been misunderstood?

Do you feel like you have been misrepresented? The reason is all about context and perspective (in most cases).

I would like to speak about context. A good communicator is the one who gets his message across effectively.

The effectiveness of good communication can be different for different people. But primarily it is about getting the message across.

When we are communicating and people misunderstand us it could be for many reasons, but setting the context is an important part of Effective Communication.

Context is important in Communication

So whether you are listening to someone or responding to someone, to understand them better we must get the context right.

So Besides being loud and clear in your speech and words, set the context right to communicate better.

Personal Insights and Steps to fulfilling your New Year's resolution

Planning and Doing it

Planning can be fun, but the implementation of it really sucks. I have had my share of difficulties planning and carrying them out. 

I think a lot of times rather than the process of planning the difficulty would lie for me in implementing the plan.

So one question would be how to plan...Like where to begin and what focus we need to keep. 

Today I shall deal with some of the questions related to planning and look at relevant areas to help us complete our resolutions and make this year a more fruitful year.

Getting confused solutions

So, before I begin let me tell you a story. Years back I was detected for high cholesterol. I got really worried about it. 

So I decided to reduce my weight. I started speaking to people about weight loss. 

But it soon dawned upon me that I was getting a lot of advice and most of it would contradict each other. This made me think how much of  what I learnt from people was right or even accurate. It was really difficult to discern right from wrong. 

I had to admit it to myself that I just did not know much about nutrition or weight loss. So I approached a professional. 

He planned my diet after doing to various tests. I followed it religiously. 

Losing & Gaining Weight...

The trigger for me to pursuing my New Year's resolution was a health issue I was trying to deal with. 

I needed a concrete solution and so the acceptance of my ignorance in dietetics and nutrition pushed me to getting professional advice.

Sometimes one of the reasons why we get discouraged and do not pursue our goals is lack of proper counsel and support.

You will not believe I lost a lot of weight and cholesterol too. In a months time results were very much visible. Within a year I had my health under control.

All these experiences really encouraged me. 

Some Personal Insights

This experience taught me a whole lot of things.

1. Accepting there is an issue:

Our goals are triggers (quite often) from the things we want to change or improve. So understanding the real issue can be quite a motivator

Just wanting an outcome can motivate one to a certain extent, but also understanding the underlying problem can be of real good help.

It can motivate us to deal with the issue with the right pace and focus.

2. Jack of all trades and mastering none:

Just having the realization that cursory knowledge is not enough can be a humbling experience. 

It can help one to see the importance of getting a mentor or an expert to deal with the problem. Self-help does not mean you have to do it alone.

Joining a community or getting in touch with a professional can be really useful.

3. Sticking to the plan:

I have realised looking back at some of the difficulties I faced while trying to get healthy, There was a whole lot of them and religiously being focused and not given up matters.

When you achieve your set goal, It feels really great and it can be life changing.

It builds in you a new confidence and energy. 

Following the plan to fulfill your Goals is worthwhile, so prepare a good plan and stick with it.

Free Bonus Tip

Modifying your plans and Changing course:

Sometimes it becomes necessary to adapt and change. This could be due to new information or feedback. 

Modifying plans should not be seen as abandoning your resolution nor as taking a tangent. It can be seen as a course correction.

Just like how a Rocket course corrects to reach a particular destination, we can do the same.

I believe it should be expected and one should be prepared for the same.

So before I let you go, let me end with this thought.

Insightful Quote on Goals

Don't make your goals just a wish

So don't just make wishes and build hope, Plan and implement it. 

Don't just plan and implement it, learn new ideas and get constant feedback. 

Don't pursue it alone get a mentor or guide, and also if possible join a community. 

But whatever you do believe in yourself and confidently move ahead.

Steps To Building a Simple Plan

 I would summarise my experience into the following Steps for Planning

In Summary

A New Year is an opportunity to bring new hopes and aspirations to reality. Let us use to help ourselves and others too.

Please share this article and also your valuable feedback.

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Goodbye 2019

2020 reminds me that it has been 20 yrs since people thought the Y2k bug would end things (Lol). It has been such a long journey since then. Before I start sharing some information and insights, Let me begin by thanking all my readers and supporters for taking the time to be on my website and read the posts and articles I share.

I always started New Year with reading the astrology section to check how my year was going to be ( although, I don't believe in Astrology ) and with keeping a list of things to do for the coming year.

But this year, I thought of doing it differently, I did not read the Astrology section (anywhere) and I did not keep a to-do list or as some may say resolutions. I just started the year being thankful and grateful.

Being Grateful

Power of Gratefulness: Practice Gratefulness in 2019

I prayed and thanked God for all joys and pains that taught a lot of life lessons.

I was joyful and grateful for the time I spent with loved ones who did not make it to this year.

I was thankful for just having the joy to experience life and the joy of just being able to experience things.

.... And a lot more

I am sure that keeping a resolution will work great for a lot of people, and it may not work for many, but just looking back, being thankful feels fulfilling and blessed.

I am sure there have been a lot of great ideas and lessons each one of us carries forward to the next year.

Here are some of the lessons I take to 2020:

# Life Lesson No. 1:  Every Moment is an Opportunity

Every Moment has the potential to change the future

I think this in my experience is something that each of us know very clearly and take it for granted. 

The idea that every moment in the present is an opportunity. 

Seizing the moment, learning from the past and keeping the future in mind can really help us chart ahead with our focus onto our visions. 

Healthy reflection and practicing daily gratefulness can help us mentally and spiritually but it can also help us see how relevant our daily tasks are in fulfilling our goals and visions.

# Life Lesson No. 2:  Life is a Journey

Life is like a journey of life experiences

It always got me thinking about what does one do after achieving a vision. The answer is very simple to set a new vision.

 A vision is not something that is static. It is a response to the needs we and others share. It should work towards making the world a better place. 

Now we can think this so abstract. I believe it is not abstract. I think the problem is when we try to fix everything.

 I think one should be focused on a single-core problem and begin to diversify.

So if you are helping someone by creating a product or offering a service start by focusing on developing one product at a time. 

If it works then diversify to other products or services.

# Life Lesson No. 3:  Feedback and Course Correction

Course Corrections is a vital part of achieving goals

Lastly, This is a very important lesson I take to the Next year.

That is how to perceive a victory or a loss.

When we are victorious I think it wise to take it as feedback that your strategies are working (unless it could also be some sort of unexpected streak of good luck) 

and when does not win, it should be an opportunity for course correction.

Concluding Thoughts

One of the gifts you can give yourself is to ponder on some of the lessons life has taught you in 2019 and use it to make 2020 a better one. 

Once again wish you a wonderful New Year and please like and subscribe to our Facebook page. 

Please do share your thoughts and some of the Life lessons you would be taking to the coming year.

Further Reading

138 New Year's Resolutions for 2020

Benefits of Taking Short Breaks 

Cost of Being too Nice