Throughout my life, and particularly in my professional progression, I have been enlightened by experiencing personal mindset shifts. Each time I have observed a shift within myself, or noticed one in others, I have watched people exude a great deal of positive energy and experience personal fulfilment flowing with it.

I have seen mindset shifts help people to over come tired and tested relationships, while I have also seen these shifts manifest themselves into a new perspective on life and its often relentless challenges. But I found myself having to explain why these mind shifts matter.

Once I thought about this, the answer became quite simple, it matters because this is what we call E.Q. or Emotional Quotient, which is what measures our Emotional Intelligence.

E.Q. underpins our ability to successfully navigate the complicated and often exasperating world of interpersonal communications, not to mention our ability to not only embrace, but enjoy change. This you could argue, is critical for survival.

But why do we need a high EQ?. Put simply, it amplifies the understanding of emotions, self-confidence, self-awareness and the ability to handle challenging emotional experiences. It also allows us to read an understand others and control our emotions and adjust our behaviour according to the emotional states of others.  This helps us understand others’ challenges and build deep and long-lasting relationships. It enables us to reflect on other peoples perspectives, put our feet in their shoes, which in turn helps them feel understood and supported. This is also called empathy.

The more empathy we feel, the more diverse our perspectives of a situation become which means we are more likely to recognise and digest the truth.

Understanding people and their emotions, and not just data, paves the way for us to manage our own feelings, respond well to the multitude of emotions others close to us are feeling, master change, build and enjoy trusting relationships, advance our career fulfilment, and enjoy the wellbeing we so desperately strive for.