The Tribune

By MICHELLE MILLER

Most educational standards are based on academics centred on numeracy and literacy alone. While they help you to survive the business and financial economies, without emotional awareness, the emotional economy will eventually gobble you up.

How then can you become equipped to excel in an economy, impelled by the very aspect of your development that you have been taught to ignore - your emotions?

Indeed, emotions are the sparks that light every flame in every economy of every country of the world. This spark ignites from an inferno deep within. And what you feel, more than anything else, directly dictates how you think and the way you behave.

Oddly, the majority of folk are unaware of the power of the emotional economy. This invisible power of emotions brings to fore the paradigm of our human capital. We hear it all the time about people being our greatest assets. Yet, the issues of those emotions that impel the people to think and act are usually left off the table.

Emotions drive us all. Men and women alike are but mere minions to the astonishing power of their emotions. Since every emotion carries a physical experience, they enable us to breathe life into our living and give meaning to the things we experience.

As an emotional creature, you feel before you think. The bulk of your decisions are largely, directed by your emotional filters. This is an enormous point to ponder, when assessing business, financial, and social outlook. Garner an appreciation of your emotional economy.

Despite the well-documented importance of emotional awareness, today’s women and men, for the most part, are still more driven to understand their money, believing that money matters most. It’s a huge misconception.

The very story about money rides on the sound track of your emotions. Be it feelings of happiness, fear, doubt, worry or uncertainty, emotions lurk in the shadows of all economics. Sadly, most leaders are unaware of the crucial role of emotions in business, organisations, and the workplace.

However, behaviour economics is fast becoming a widely recognized field for sustainable economic development.

Research by the Gallup Organisation on the Business Impact of Human Emotions over the past 30 years, particular since 2008, highlighted the many pitfalls and drawbacks of traditional economic theories that omit emotional awareness.

The assumption of looking for logical alone as reasons for why things happen is an outdated mode of thinking. Gallup found that emotions played more of a game-changing role in determining success than most Business Leaders understand.

When employees and customers are not emotionally empowered and fully engaged, nothing happens. While they still show up to work or to your business, they never actively check in. More than this consider the thousands of people who quit but never physically leave their jobs.

What about you – are you emotionally equipped to meet the evolving challenges of today’s environment?

Emotions factor into everything. Without skills to understand your emotions, you begin to disconnect and soon become disengaged, floating life driftwood on the seas of change.

There is a fundamental mental difference between promising to excel and being equipped to excel in the emotional economy. There is sometimes too much talking the talk and not enough walking the walk. Work on erasing this as your norm.

Building a meaningful life is a process. Be responsible for your whole life, which includes your emotions. While your leader, spouse, parents, teachers, supervisor, or colleague may not be aware of the value of your emotional currency, acknowledge its value for yourself. Pay attention.

Understand that your emotional landscape is a unique aspect of who you are. Make the commitment to unravel how you feel about yourself.

This is a major issue, which directly affects the social fabric of this small society. Most people are simply ill equipped to excel in the emotional economy. Yet, somehow, they are trying to survive the fickle financial economy.

Money and unguided emotions is a potent cocktail with grave implications. In such instances, your emotions, invariably takes the lead. This is why you must be emotionally empowered, through education, to understand how to guide your emotions adequately

Be clear – your emotional empowerment is not about pasting another layer of material things. It is about a new paradigm that elevates your thinking. You learn how to think deeply in order to thrive, not just survive. Bob Marley said, “open your eyes and look within – are you satisfied with the life you’re living”?

Living with a sense of confidence in your feelings about yourself and your life is the result of being emotionally equipped to excel.

Even though most people are conditioned to have more respect for their emotions than their feelings. You have the power to change this right now by engaging in lessons on emotional intelligence.

Fail to do so and you will remain emotionally enslaved - chasing the ever-elusive, financial freedom. Emotional freedom is the ultimate freedom. Without it, you cannot be truly free.

The greater the emotional confidence, the greater control you have over not just money but your entire life. Remember you control the money - it does not control you. You give it meaning and value, not the other way around.

By understanding your emotions, you master your personal effectiveness. This does not mean that your money does not matter. Of course, it does. However, without strong emotional capacity, your money and everything else will slowly diminish.

Unguided emotions have far-reaching social implications. Men and women must embrace the challenge to develop a deeper appreciation of their collective emotional currency.

Wanting an improved life outcome is one thing. Doing something to make it happen – well, that is what it takes. Remember, every new paradigm presents its own problems but it also produces its own possibilities.

Make today the day that you take the lead to become equipped to excel in the emotional economy. Commit and you will to do so with a sheer degree of confidence.

Now is the time to shift your life paradigm.

What do you think?

• Please send your comments to coaching242@yahoo.com or 429-6770. Michelle M. Miller is a certified Life-Coach, Leadership Expert and Host of the Radio program – Men & The e-Factor. www.taketheleadbook.com.