 Emotional
Intelligence - Resilience & Change - Part 4
By Cheryl Bakke Martin of Inspirations Unlimited
We made it! Another year complete, and a New Year to celebrate
and plan for. Looking back over the holiday season and all the demands it presented, how
did you do? Were you able to adapt to the changing schedules and additional tasks? Did you
remain flexible? Were you realistic about what you could accomplish and effectively solve
problems that came your way? Were you able to tolerate the stress that often accompanies
the season without losing control of yourself or your emotions? If you managed all that
with some measure of success and satisfaction, your emotional intelligence, specifically
in the areas of Adaptability and Stress Management, is probably very developed. The skills
required to keep it all together through a typical holiday season are a reflection of your
emotional intelligence capabilities.
Moving forward into the New Year, as we set and plan yearly objectives
and goals, these two areas of emotional intelligence will be critical in realizing
success. A component of Adaptability, reality testing is very relevant to this task
because it involves our ability to accurately perceive and assess our current situation.
Understanding our circumstances and then being able to ascertain what is possible for the
future, forms the beginning of the planning process. Follow that with objective problem
solving involving a step-by-step approach, and you are well on your way to the desired
result. Effective problem solving involves being able to accurately define the issue,
brainstorm possible solutions, assess each alternative, and decide on the best solution.
Once the decision is made, the plan is then implemented and concludes with an evaluation
of the outcome. This process can be done on an ongoing basis to help keep us focused on
the important items in our lives. Ironically, it is often the one thing that is overlooked
usually due to a perceived lack of time. Yet, it is the planning and problem solving that
ultimately brings goals into reality. Flexibility is the final factor in our ability to
remain adaptable when dealing with the unexpected. Our lives and businesses move at such a
pace that we constantly have to deal with change. If we are rigid in our routines and we
get upset easily if thrown off course, we will have trouble realizing our objectives.
Being flexible allows us to make the required course adjustments to keep us focused on the
desired end result. If your natural tendency is to establish set patterns and adhere to
them unfailingly, try changing things up to cultivate a new approach. Make a point of
varying your daily routines. These steps can help create more comfort in deviating from
your usual way of dealing with things, and will assist you in keeping an open mind and
considering at all the possible alternatives in any given situation.
Stress Management is a measure of our ability to withstand difficult
events without falling apart by proactively and positively coping with stress. Individuals
who are successful in this area are usually calm, seldom impulsive and cope well under
pressure. We will always have to deal with stressors in our lives. What is more important
is how we respond to those situations. In order to remain calm, avoid anger and
aggressiveness, and ultimately choose the appropriate response, we need to first be aware
of our physical and mental symptoms of stress. Do you feel overwhelmed? Do you experience
tension in your neck and back? Do you have repeated headaches? Has your mood become
increasingly sour, having you struggling to fight off depression and anxiety? Do you have
trouble concentrating? All of these can be indicators that you are experiencing extreme
stress and are in need of some positive intervention to help you cope more successfully.
Ask yourself, “What am I doing to cope with stress?” Are they positive and
healthy choices: going for a walk, deep breathing, meditation, regular exercise or
bodywork? Or do you resort to tactics such as ignoring an issue in hopes that it will
simply disappear, blaming others, using alcohol or other drugs, or ‘ranting and
raving’ at the nearest person willing to take it (usually the ones we love most)?
Reaching our goals requires resiliency. We create this by proactively
caring for our well-being, putting us in a position where we can make sound decisions from
a place of calm and rational thought even while the world around us is chaotic and
demanding.
Cheryl Bakke Martin, owner of Inspirations Unlimited, is
a personal coach, speaker & facilitator. If you are in a place where you want to take
your business to the next level & would like consult with a coach, Cheryl invites you
to a free consultation. 403.948.1078 - www.inspirations.ab.ca |
