Emotional Intelligence - You Are Your Own Master

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Kahlil Gibran

Recently I watched a tamizh movie starring Jyothika titled 36 Vayadhinile (At 36 years of age). This movie is a re-make of the popular Malayalam movie starring Manju Warrier titled How Old Are You and my expectations were quite high as I entered the theater. Half an hour into the movie my mind was whirring with a million thoughts and revelations.

In the first half of the movie, Vasanthi (Jyothika) is the kind of woman who is very submissive with her husband and silently bears abuses and insults from him. But more than feeling sorry for her, I only felt an indignant rage.

When Vasanthi was emotionally manipulated into abandoning the project that she had worked so hard on and moving out of the country, she initially felt she had no way out. But when she thought about it and realized that her decision was in her own hands, she very calmly and confidently put her foot down and refused to do something that she felt was not right. For the exact same situation in which she first felt trapped and betrayed, a simple change in perspective made her feel strong and secure.

Eventually in the second half of the movie Vasanthi finds herself and finds true happiness. While this may seem like a fairy-tale ending that makes us sniffle and well-up, it isn’t as easy as it may seem on the big screen.

We need to make a conscious effort to be more in tune with our emotions. What Vasanthi displayed initially was a complete lack of emotional literacy where she was not aware of her own emotions or the emotions of those around her. Her very low levels of emotional intelligence was the reason she was her own biggest obstacle.

When we apply this concept to our own lives, we realize that we need to be emotionally intelligent so we can grow holistically. If we do not respond to the words that are being said on the inside, the face we present to the world is going to remain resolutely, woefully incomplete.

So put your best foot forward and embrace your emotions. There are instances in your life when emotional intelligence training will make you evolve as a person. Look out for those moments and carpe diem- seize the day!

This little anecdote from a popular movie is one of many instances of the reason for emotional intelligence training and emotional literacy. This awareness is vital for both our professional and personal lives.

The next blog post will delve deeper into the complexities of human emotions and how we can perceive them to our advantage. 


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