Emotional intelligence is one of the necessary soft skills to thrive in life but we’re rarely taught what emotional intelligence is or how to cultivate a higher understanding of it to strengthen this aspect of ourselves for stronger personal and professional lives. Emotionally intelligent people are empathetic, curious, and self-aware, just to name a few qualities but there are a number of behaviors they exhibit to live fully and consciously every day of their lives.
1. They accept and embrace change.
Change is never easy, regardless of what form or shape it comes in. Whether it’s changing careers, bringing in a new family member, losing a loved one, dealing with a breakup or death – we all experience it in various forms. Emotionally intelligent people don’t run from change or try to deny its existence. They don’t deem their situation hopeless or believe they’ll never be able to find their way out. Instead, they face it head on and attempt to learn from the experience as they go.
2. They let go of the past.
Emotionally intelligent people understand they can’t change the past. What has happened has happened and there is nothing they can do except accept what has happened, learn what they can from the experience, and move on. Acceptance and forgiveness are two of the strongest traits they use when dealing with their relationships and experiences.
3. They seek fulfillment in the present moment.
They understand there is no place in the past or in the future, but simply in the present moment. They try to find as much enjoyment as they can in what is currently happening instead of dwelling in what’s happened or what could be.
4. They understand no situation or person is perfect.
Emotionally intelligent people fully understand and accept that people and life in general wouldn’t exist without their flaws. What fun would life be if there wasn’t a little bit of variety and unexpected twists and turns now and again? When roadblocks occur in their life, whether in a relationship or in their careers, they’re able to look at the overall picture and identify whether this issue is big enough to impact the rest of their life, or if it’s just a temporary problem they can solve and move on from. They never expect their loved ones to be perfect and they know life wouldn’t be what it is without a series of ups and downs.
5. They take responsibility.
When something hasn’t gone as planned they look inward and search for answers instead of blaming others for their misfortunate. They take responsibility for their actions and understand every decision they make is a step in their path. They don’t wallow in self-pity or wonder why everything bad seems to happen to them but instead are self-aware enough to look at what happened and where they went wrong.
6. They’re perceptive to the moods and feelings of people around them.
Emotionally intelligent people have the ability to perceive and understand emotion. They pay attention to the way people are feeling and have a subtle intuition that guides them when they get into environments or situations with people. By being able to pick up on how others are feeling they’re able to better understand how to communicate efficiently.
7. They’re open communicators and are willing to talk things out when emotions come up.
They understand communication is essential to healthy and happy relationships, so when tension begins brewing between themselves and someone else, they’re willing to discuss what’s going on. Instead of avoiding confrontation or communicating about important topics they attempt to understand where the other person is coming from or why they feel the way they do and how they can help the other person better understand their perspective as well.
8. They don’t let their emotions run their lives.
They’re self-aware about their feelings and behaviors and while they succumb to moments of anger or sadness they’re proactive in managing their moods and feelings. Emotionally intelligent people are thoughtful in how they approach others and think before saying something they could later on regret.
9. They don’t take things personally.
Emotionally intelligent people are easy going and rarely take things as offensive. They know who they are and what they’re about, so when someone makes a joke or a comment at their expense, it doesn’t really matter. They’re secure with themselves, know who they are, and know when to take things with a grain of salt.
10. They avoid complacency.
Part of being self-aware is to know when you’ve hit a rut in life. Maybe it’s knowing you could be working on things in your relationship to make it better or perhaps it’s knowing there’s more you could be doing at work to get farther ahead this year. Emotionally intelligent people are driven and self-motivated and instead of staying in their rut they look at how they can change things up and get out of their comfort zone. 
