It’s the accidental truth I stumbled upon during my time, travelling the world to learn and understand others, their feelings, their struggles and challenges life brings them.

What makes a person emotionally intelligent and why is emotional intelligence important to everyday life. I talk about 5 qualities which I’ve come across which I believe comprise the emotionally intelligent person, that can help shape your mindset, approach in business and all areas of communication. But more importantly understanding why it’s effective in everyday life.

1)    Empathy

At its simplest form, it is the awareness of the feelings and emotions of others around you. Having the capacity to places yourself in other people’s shoes.

To be able to understand one’s feelings and emotions whether that be through a general conversation or something deeper more intimate allows us to better connect and communicate to provide potential solutions or even lending an ear, thoughts and feelings.

We often empathise based on reaction of those around us, but I strongly feel it is one that can be learnt through experience and overtime.

For example, ‘affective empathy’ is what we do when we mirror the feelings and emotion of others, whether that be stress and we can detect their fear or anxiety.

Cognitive Empathy is our ability to identify and understand other people’s feelings, in other words ‘perspective taking.’

Point is, developing emotional intelligence is no overnight success, and being emotionally intelligent can be stressful on its own, but its one that we work on without realising, as empathy is a great example of what we learn and store away in our mind and only put to use as an when necessary.

2)    Curiosity

Ones ability to be curious is the fuel of exploration. To ever wonder what lies beyond the realms of our four walls, to undergoing challenges which others dare not. Its a notion of fulfilling an urge, a desire to seek answers of the unknown.

Curiosity craves for courageous minds. It is one that need not have talent associated with it but the ability to try new things for the sake of finding out, or even better for the experience and journey itself.

Curiosity is and will always be innate. It leads us to be passionate about our focus on goals or an objective we are pursuing, and the idea that we will put our full energy and resources to accomplish the goal which it brings to understand why we are curious in the place first. Curiosity is our road to learn and to seek adventure, whether it be right or wrong, it leads a pathway of discovery that one would not have known or explored without the sense of being curious enough to find out. It brings out the ‘doer’ in a person and I deeply believe in its importance and the positive effects in which it brings.

It is never what’s on the finish line that matters, and those who have the desire and will to be curious to explore, seek an adventure, or even try something new, it is the experience that is forever rewarding.

Learn to be curious and with it comes challenges, new learning and discovery of new skills which you could not have unearthed otherwise.

3)    Self-Awareness

One of the most challenging yet rewarding journey is to have the ability learn and understand yourself and the having a third perons perspective of who you are, what you do and more importantly why you do what you do.

Seeing oneself from a third persons perspective allows you to self-examine your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to manage yourself in both a proactive and reactive manner.

The art of self-discovery and self-awareness takes time. But it begins with questioning your decisions, your motives, intentions and how pure and relatable you are to who you want to be. But also learning to seek feedback and criticism from others and understand the journey and steps to take, to build your character and awareness to the ideal image which you portray yourself to be.

4)    Passionate

Th infectious spirit of those who love what they do which you can feel the energy and warmth of, from their everyday action or word they share.

The ability to have a passion and fall in love with an idea that you strive towards, suggests you are someone of high EQ, as your passion for something you love is infectious and contagious. When you feel it or even see it in others, its one of those moments where you ‘just know.’

The positive energy it brings is often understated, as passion is a natural desire to fulfil an ambition, an instinct, a goal, whether that be for a career or a subject.

Emotionally intelligent people have the ability to align passion, with perseverance and persistence to ensure they accomplish a goal and dream that makes them proud of who they are and what they represent.

5)    Adaptability

Life throws us many obstacles, challenges or puts us directly in environments which impact our immediate comfort zone. We feel restricted, at unease and lack the ability to understand what is happening and why.

Emotional intelligence teaches adaptability. We are growing into an ever-changing world where it is crucial to learn and to understand new aspects of life beyond the borders of our own initial mindset and comfort zone.

The struggles you face today will be a thing of the past tomorrow, and developing the mindset and more importantly the attitude to believe in change and be flexible in your approach will be your tools to learn to adapt to new environments and make it your own.

Ideas changes, strategies may not work but one’s ability to constantly explore and find new ways of making something happen that works for today environment, todays people and todays world suggest you are a person of high emotional intelligence, who has the ability to adapt to everyday changes in scenarios.

Sabirul Islam
Born to Serve, Live to Inspire
www.sabirulislam.co.uk