Emotional Intelligence

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What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence Is the Other Kind of Smart.

(E)motional (I)ntelligence first appeared it was first conceived as a concept, as it has no physical qualities. It served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQ’s outperform those with the highest IQ’s 70% of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into what many people had always assumed was the sole source of success—IQ. Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. Think of it as the key that unlocks one’s intellect and expresses it as wisdom allowing for correct action.

Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions that achieve positive results. Emotional intelligence is made up of four core skills that pair up under two primary competencies: personal competence and social competence.

 

Personal competence is made up of your self-awareness and self-management skills, which focus more on you individually than on your interactions with other people. Personal competence is your ability to stay aware of your emotions and manage your behavior and tendencies.

• Self-Awareness is your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen.

• Self-Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behavior.

Social competence is made up of your social awareness and relationship management skills; social competence is your ability to understand other people’s moods, behavior, and motives in order to improve the quality of your relationships.

• Social-Awareness is your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on.

• Relationship Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions and the others’ emotions to manage interactions successfully. Developing a strong emotional awareness with the opposite sex is the magnetism for a lifetime of happiness, fulfillment and success in all aspects of ones life.

 

Why do photographers need emotional health?

 

It's how well we are in touch with our finest feelings that gives a photographer the ability to

communicate emotional responses from their work! When a scene stirs the artist's feelings and a

thought this is compelling and needs to be captured, a picture becomes a photograph. After the

photo is taken, the person feels like something wonderful has been born and is excited to share it

with others. This is when a photographer becomes an artist, you now have created a story with depth

rather than recording a moment in time. To recognize the powerful effects of those emotions you

only need to see a strangers reaction while viewing an image, hear their words of amazement and see

them uplifted by being in the presence of your work. This is why emotional clarity is so important to

an artist...

 

It begins with learning how emotions work, but it goes much deeper. Specifically, how do you start

putting the knowledge into practice?

 

 

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Putting Emotional Intelligence into action…

 

 

1. YOU THINK ABOUT FEELINGS.

Emotional intelligence begins with what is called self- and social awareness, the ability to recognize emotions (and their impact) in both yourself and others.

That awareness begins with reflection. You ask questions like:

• What are my emotional strengths? What are my weaknesses?

• How does my current mood affect my thoughts and decision-making?

• What's going on under the surface that influences what others say or do?

Pondering questions like these yield valuable insights that can be used to your advantage.

2. YOU PAUSE.

The pause is as simple as taking a moment to stop and think before you speak or act. (Easy in theory, difficult in practice.) This can help save you from embarrassing moments or from making commitments too quickly.

In other words, pausing helps you refrain from making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.

3. YOU STRIVE TO CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS.

You don't have much control over the emotion you experience in a given moment. But you can control your reaction to those emotions--by focusing on your thoughts. (As it's been said: you can't prevent a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from building a nest.)

By striving to control your thoughts, you resist becoming a slave to your emotions, allowing yourself to live in a way that's in harmony with your goals and values.

4. YOU BENEFIT FROM CRITICISM.

Nobody enjoys negative feedback. But you know that criticism is a chance to learn, even if it's not delivered in the best way. And even when it's unfounded, it gives you a window into how others think.

When you receive negative feedback, you keep your emotions in check and ask yourself: How can this make me better?

5. YOU SHOW AUTHENTICITY.

Authenticity doesn't mean sharing everything about yourself, to everyone, all of the time. It does mean saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and sticking to your values and principles above all else.

You know not everyone will appreciate you sharing your thoughts and feelings. But the ones who matter, will.

6. YOU DEMONSTRATE EMPATHY.

The ability to show empathy, which includes understanding others' thoughts and feelings, helps you to connect with others. Instead of judging or labeling others, you work hard to see things through their eyes.

Empathy doesn't necessarily mean agreeing with another person's point of view. Rather, it's about striving to understand--which allows you to build deeper, more connected relationships.

7. YOU PRAISE OTHERS.

All humans crave acknowledgment and appreciation. When you commend others, you satisfy that craving and build trust in the process.

This all begins when you focus on the good in others. Then, by sharing specifically what you appreciate, you inspire them to be the best version of themselves.

8. YOU HELP OTHERS BENEFIT FROM CRITICISM.

Negative feedback has great potential to hurt others' feelings. Realizing this, you see criticism as constructive feedback, so the recipient sees it as helpful, instead of harmful.

9. YOU APOLOGIZE.

It takes strength and courage to be able to say you're sorry. But doing so demonstrates humility, a quality that will naturally draw others to you.

Emotional intelligence helps you to realize that apologizing doesn't always mean you're wrong. It does mean valuing your relationship more than your ego.

10. YOU FORGIVE AND FORGET.

Hanging on to resentment is like leaving a knife inside a wound. While the offending party moves on with their life, you never give yourself the chance to heal.

When you forgive and forget, you prevent others from holding your emotions hostage--allowing you to move forward.

11. YOU KEEP YOUR COMMITMENTS.

It's common nowadays for people to break an agreement or commitment when they feel like it. Of course, bailing on an evening of Netflix with a friend will cause less harm than breaking a promise to your child or missing a major business deadline.

But when you make a habit of keeping your word--in things big and small--you develop a strong reputation for reliability and trustworthiness.

12. YOU HELP OTHERS.

One of the greatest ways to positively impact the emotions of others is to help them.

Most people don't really care where you graduated from, or even about your previous accomplishments. But what about the hours you're willing to take out of your schedule to listen or help out? Your readiness to get down in the trenches and work alongside them?

Actions like these build trust and inspire others to follow your lead when it counts.

13. YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM EMOTIONAL SABOTAGE.

You realize that emotional intelligence also has a dark side--like when individuals attempt to manipulate others' emotions to promote a personal agenda or for some other selfish cause.

And that's why you continue to sharpen your own emotional intelligence--to protect yourself when they do. Think of it as “Protecting your Happiness”. When you are happy, the mind is clear, patience flows and creativity is maximized.

Emotional intelligence isn't about achieving perfection, or reaching a certain level of "Emotional Enlightenment".  It's about continuous learning and growth.

Yes, it's often when you think you have mastered EI that you will make your greatest mistakes. But it is how you handle those mistakes that will determine how truly emotionally intelligent you are.

How does this relate to Photography?

After all it’s your finger that activates the camera shutter.

The camera makes a picture.

When a scene enlivens your feelings, then you can compose the scene to tell a story of how you were moved or what you found so compelling in that moment.

This is how a photograph differs from a photo.