Emotion Has a Motion
Look closely at the word emotion—it has motion. Emotions keep moving and changing. We may feel happy in the morning, irritated by afternoon and peaceful again by evening. So perhaps emotions are not always something we need to “fix.” Instead, we need to understand where they are taking us.
Anger can take us towards an argument, fear towards avoidance and sadness towards withdrawal. But the same emotions can take another path. Anger can become courage. Fear can become preparation. Sadness can become understanding. Excitement can become creativity. The emotion has energy; we choose its direction.
Who Is Driving? (Basics of Emotional Intelligence)
Think of emotion like a powerful car. Power is useful, but the car still needs a driver. Problems begin when emotion takes the driver’s seat.
Someone criticises us, and we immediately defend ourselves. Someone ignores us, and anger appears. There is hardly any space between emotion and reaction.
Emotional Intelligence creates that valuable space:
Emotion → Pause → Understand → Respond
Instead of asking, “How can I stop this feeling?” ask, “What is this emotion trying to tell me?”
Give Emotion the Right Path
Emotional Intelligence does not mean suppressing what we feel. It means recognising the emotion, understanding its message and consciously deciding what to do with it.
A simple process can help:
Recognise → Understand → Choose → Act
Recognise: What am I feeling?
Understand: Why am I feeling it? What is it telling me?
Choose: Where should I direct this emotion?
Act: Respond consciously instead of reacting automatically.
Try It Today
Think about one strong emotion you experienced today. Ask yourself:
What caused it? What is it telling me? Where is it automatically taking me? Where do I want to take it?
We may not always choose which emotions arrive, but we can learn to choose their direction.
Emotion will move. The question is: