Building emotional intelligence

That moment our reptilian brain kicks in and we are triggered. 

If we notice when this happens, even if it is after the incident, we have the opportunity to learn about the nature of our pain points.

If we can catch ourselves in the early reactivity, then we might be able to change our response. 

At the least take a breath or two and create some separation between the incident, the reaction and our response.

This is the basics of building emotional intelligence. It is, like any art, a practice, ever approaching mastery, never arriving.

Cultivating the practice of awareness of our reactivity enables us to be better humans, better leaders, better parents. It also means we become more conscious of our choices, rather than be directed by the reptilian reflexive self.

December 19th 2018

Photo taken December 19th 2018