So I think this is the last of three entries that I wrote last year – 14th September 2019 if Microsoft is to be believed – unless I can find any more in my unacceptably dishevelled filing system.
I’ve only got one thought on what I wrote and I’m even more convinced about it than I was then.
Working on your Emotional Intelligence is 100% critical.
Oh. And Covid-19 sucks. That’s two thoughts.
………………….
So, we’re pretty much done with summer…
Where did that go?
The festivals, the bands we get stoked for pouring into town, the park chillouts, getting caught in biblical rain and having to buy a brew in a Starbucks where there’s no bathroom because there’s nowhere else to shelter.
Through the summer, I’ve been documenting how I’ve been feeling.
Bird’s eye view, it’s been a repeat rollercoaster from exhilaration to anxiety and a few stops of normality along the way.
Working with Raw Blue Wire is DIY. Actually, the whole thing is DIY which gives it a really fun and collaborative feel. We all play our part and support each other. We’ve had three warm up gigs so far.
Strangely calm before each of them.
The adrenalin rush was something else.
It carried me through probably.
Pride, elation and relief.
The perfectionist approach of the band meant that the post-gig dissection highlighted some areas to work on.
It’s fun.
I have been doing some things that are of questionable relevance to progressing one part of my portfolio that is very precious to me.
I started to feel overwhelmed.
Anxious about the future.
I had learnt to prioritise in the framework that a company provides (i.e. the spectre of stakeholders knocking on your door).
But this new life can release boundaries, expand or even delete frameworks.
I’m knuckling down now but there’s lots to think about and improve on.
Hey Saturday has been doing a programme around self-love. My mind wandered to wellness programmes in corporates and how many of them seem to have the objective of rejuvenating you so you can work that little bit harder – and probably get overlooked when it comes to important (to you, not them) shit. Ironic, no?
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Emotional Intelligence and how it fits in to the multi-stage life and future of work.
I listened to a podcast with Oprah Winfrey and Daniel Goleman, the author of the 1995 bestseller “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ”.
Goleman argues unequivocally that EI (or EQ) is as important as IQ for success in all elements of your life, especially how you navigate your career, relationships and physical and mental wellbeing.
I’d also argue that society collectively benefits from investing in its emotional intelligence learning. Dr Goleman talked about the Dalai Lama addressing a group of gatherers in India: “Like physical education, learning emotional hygiene is in great need today.”
Fuck yes!
It’s accepted that the part of the brain which supports emotional and social intelligence matures the slowest. As it matures, it is influenced by its experiences.
To shape its experiences, EI should be taught as early as possible in life.
Start with children.
Continue to invest in their emotional intelligence.
Dr Laura Jana is someone who is passionate about maximising children’s potential through investing in early child brain development.
I’m a fan of her work.
It’s not too late for us adults to start
And the good news is that you can continue to learn and develop your EI.
It’s an evolution.
Just like our identity. Just like the growth mindset.
The pillars of Dr Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence model – Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness and Social Skills – are all constructs that are crucial for the advancement of our human and social capital.
In a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world, Goleman’s model is the essential starting point for understanding how we are shaping up to the future.
Large parts of this article first appeared in Hey Sunday’s Doodleblog