About this episode
Quote of the Day "More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been taken from the earth." Napoleon Hill Success Requires Emotional Mastery We often get caught up in traffic or feel frustrated with a difficult coworker, but it's important to realize that we are not always conscious of our emotional states. If you don't master your emotions, then they can take control and lead you down the wrong path until there is no turning back for yourself emotionally speaking which will only cause more harm than good when dealing with other people around us as well! Love, hate, anger, joy, sadness: Human emotion is our greatest gift. You don’t want to get rid of emotions – without them, life is meaningless. But learning how to master your emotions and use them, instead of letting them use you, is key to achieving your dreams in every aspect of your life. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to manage your thoughts and feelings. If you have a high degree of EI, you could read your own emotions pretty well and predict how they will impact others. “You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing everything with logic. If words control you that means everyone can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.” – Bruce Lee Why is emotional mastery so important? We cannot change our objective experience. Things happen every day that are outside our control. But we can change our subjective experience: the meaning that we assign to those things. That is emotional mastery, and it has a massive impact on our interpersonal relationships, self-worth, communication skills, and overall fulfillment in life. Tony Robbins believes that it takes six steps to master your emotions. 1. Identify what you’re feeling. Ask yourself the following questions: What am I feeling at this moment? Am I really feeling [specific emotion]? If not, what am I really feeling? 2. Acknowledge your emotions without judgment. Mastering your emotions does not mean denying them or shutting down. Instead, it’s important to acknowledge your emotions without guilt or judgment. Your emotions are part of who you are. If you make yourself feel that certain emotions are wrong, it can discourage you from being honest with yourself. This can hinder your efforts to take control of your thoughts and feelings. 3. What can a particular emotion offer you? It’s OK to approach your feelings with curiosity. In fact, this can help you develop a deeper understanding of them. The more questions you ask, the better equipped you’ll be to interrupt disruptive emotions and prevent unproductive emotional responses. 4. Build Your Emotional Confidence. When I first started practicing emotional mastery, I often became impatient with my inability to put negative emotions into check. However, I also gain confidence every time I successfully managed my emotions and handled tricky situations tactfully, with full emotional awareness. 5. Allow yourself the certainty that you can handle difficult emotions. This may seem like a lot to unpack. However, you build confidence by rehearsing different situations and gaining poise and assurance, which are valuable qualities in themselves. Practicing this step helped me build confidence and made me feel like a weight was lifted off my chest when I had to deal with complex situations and interact with coworkers I rarely agreed with. 6. Get excited about your newfound powers. Gaining emotional mastery is like finding out you have a superpower. You should get excited about it and use it for the greater good. When you find yourself in a difficult situation, take a breath and remember that you can easily handle whatever emotions crop up. Then, take action and prove it. Without mastery of your emotions, you can be the most skilled worker in the company and have the great technical know-how. But, It won’t matter how hard you work, If you cannot balance your emotions and work collaboratively and respectfully with others. It’s never too late to start working on your emotional mastery. By following the steps above, you can begin to take control of your emotions and respond to difficult situations in a more productive way. With practice, you’ll find that it gets easier and easier to remain aware of your emotions and manage them effectively. Soon, you’ll be a master of your emotions. And that’s a superpower worth having. I hope these ideas and thoughts will help you to focus on and gain mastery over your emotions. Have a great day. George Wright III