One of the tenets of Emotional Intelligence is the ability to moderate emotions and channel them into productive uses. But before you can moderate, it’s important to learn to recognize what is truly at the core of your emotional reaction. Why are you so mad in this meeting? Why did that comment set you off? Why are you envious of another person’s success? Why are you feeling unappreciated?
And then, while it may be appropriate to moderate your emotions in the moment, it does no good to suppress them or to ignore the root cause. The next skill is learning the courage to address what triggered your feelings, whether through a conversation with another person, a change in your behavior, or altering the circumstances in the future.
As Disney showed, emotions have the ability to turn you inside out. Treat them like you would any other performance skill and work to strengthen your command of their power. Recognize, moderate, and address.
