Tag: emotional intelligence

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motivation

The Powerful Tool of Forgiveness

Cartoon of a man and elephant about forgiving and forgetting

We are imperfect people working with imperfect coworkers and serving imperfect customers. over the course of the day, someone may say something that is either going to frustrate, offend or discourage us. It could be intentional or totally innocent. It may be because we can see the same facts and come to different conclusions. Oh, there are so many chances to forgive!

Forgiveness allows us to move on. True, there must be accountability. If someone is breaking an established rule or a law, they must be held to it. But most of the time, the things that get us tripped up in are minor offenses that require us to let go.

Forgive and it will be much easier for the other person to forgive you. Let go of those minor offenses that can become major if we let them fester. After all, a bunch of imperfect people do imperfect, annoying, aggravating things. And you are certainly not immune from doing an imperfect, annoying aggravating thing.

Categories
Attitude motivation

Each Heart Knows Its Own Bitterness

Cartoon of a woman and guy with a turtle shell in a restaurant

Empathy is hard. Nobody truly knows what another person is going through. We can’t fully know a person’s past. We can’t fully know what a person is going through at home and what events have shaped their view of the world.

Yet, empathy is so crucial because it gives us a moment to consider the other person isn’t exactly like you. Otherwise, it is tempting to write off a person. If we don’t consider the other person’s point of view, we can think they’re being unreasonable and silly.

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can fully share its joy.

Proverbs 14:10

No person is truly like me. I come from a small hometown. Only three other people grew up in the same household as me. None of them went to the same college, lived in the same places and worked at the same workplaces. Nobody else has had the same lovely wife and kids. My life and experiences are unique, and so are yours. So how can I expect you to see things exactly the way I do?

Empathy is difficult. But it is so key in getting a glimpse of how the other person sees and reacts to the world.

Categories
motivation productivity

Working Hard or Hardly Working

I used to believe that hard work was the only thing that makes a person or business prosper. While I believe it is still key, I have observed that hard work is only part of the formula.

Hard work can only get a person so far if they are not kind and empathetic towards coworkers and clients. A person can do superior work, but nobody wants to do business with them because they are a bear to be around. Our emotional intelligence, or EQ, is as important as our IQ.

Hard work doesn’t mean much if a person is working hard at the wrong things. Anyone can work hard at digging a hole, but is the hole good for anything? Does it have a purpose? Is the action in line with the company’s goals?

Hard, good work is essential. It is the fuel that powers creation. It creates value. But hard work without vital relationships and purposeful focus is like the Myth of Sisyphus. A person can roll that boulder up a hill, only to see it roll down and repeat the action.