The key to success in life

Good management of one's emotions is the key to greater success in one's career and life.

Senior chartered psychologist and computer scientist from Oxford University Dr Shaun Zeng said the ability to manage such emotions depended on the health of one's emotional intelligence.

Self-discovery: Participants will learn to use their emotional intelligence at the EQ workshop on Jan 26.
He said work problems, like finding it difficult to work with others or leading co-workers as well as finding it overly challenging to meet one's work targets thus resulting in constant change of jobs, were usually symptoms of underlying emotional issues.

“If you feel unmotivated towards self-improvement or if you are generally unhappy with life and with people around you, you need to start looking into your emotional intelligence. You may find that once you can manage your emotions, you can manage anything in life,” he said.

Emotional intelligence or quotient (EQ), he explained, is a person's “emotional quality”. A person with a high EQ can handle his own emotions well and will be able to manage life well.

“Today, most people take the term EQ to mean one's social popularity or aptness. In actual fact, EQ incorporates a multitude of human capabilities.

“Under the rubric of EQ lies the complexity of a person's competencies to demonstrate intelligent use of emotions for self-management and social integration. People with a positive and high emotional quality are usually popular and are generally happy,” he added.

Another important quality necessary for attaining personal life goals is the ability to suppress the desire for immediate gratifications, an aspect of EQ, stressed Dr Zeng.
He cites author J.K. Rowling who wrote Harry Potter as an example:

“She was divorced, lived with her daughter under public assistance in a tiny apartment and her first book was rejected by 10 publishers. Despite the setbacks, her persistence in pursuing her goal led her to become the best selling author in literary history,”