Thursday, November 17, 2016 Service
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. "
— Viktor E. Frankl

The Power of Emotional Agility

The Power of Emotional Agility
Just like physical agility, emotional agility is important to overall health, well-being and successful relationships at work. Psychologist Susan David, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School and author of the book, Emotional Agility, offers insights about the "critical skill set" needed to achieve emotional balance. She notes, "emotions help us not only to communicate with other people but also to ourselves. This is a critical aspect of my work and of the book itself. This idea that we can learn underneath our emotions, if we feel a sense of guilt, if we feel a sense of anger, there's often something that is instructive to us. Now, the very clear distinction here is that our emotions are data, not directions. We can learn from them, but we don't need to obey them or be dominated by them."

Be the Change

Take the time to truly feel and identify the emotions you are experiencing. Consider the emotions to be data rather than directions. What do they tell you about yourself or your circumstance? How do you choose to respond?

Get Daily Inspiration

For 28 years, we've delivered hand-selected stories that spark creativity and kindness. Join 140,263 subscribers on this journey.

Subscribe Free