People often use the term ‘emotional intelligence’ as if it were an academic qualification, something you can prove you have or don’t have. But emotional intelligence is not like IQ – the ability to learn through formal education.

It is instead akin to what we call personality traits. We all have some degree of empathy, for example, which means we are able to understand how other people feel. And we all have some level of self-confidence, which allows us to believe in ourselves.

Emotional intelligence isn’t just knowing how to control your own emotions, it is also being aware of others’ emotions and whether they are showing strength or weakness. It includes having patience with someone who has done things that have hurt you, and being able to let go of negative feelings so that you can move on.

This may sound obvious, but too many of us lack this quality. In our overstimulated lives, everyone around us seems to be constantly expressing emotion, and their expression is usually very strong and difficult to change. This makes it hard to develop your emotional intelligence.

However, there are ways to improve your EQ (or rather, reduce its deficit). Here are five easy steps to try. Read on for more information!

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Step No 1: Become aware of your emotions

Most people spend most of their time unaware of their own inner experiences and external signs of feeling.

I need to work on my emotional intelligence

Sometimes we get so focused on being physically strong, rich, or intelligent that we forget about our emotional strength.

We lose sight of what matters most in this world- loving others and seeking out ways to love them. This is what makes us truly happy and gives us someone to look up to and learn from.

So how much emotional intelligence do you have?

That is your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions. You are probably more familiar with it than you think!

You use emotional intelligence every day. For example, when you wake up in the morning, you begin reading, writing, and talking for a few minutes before getting out of bed.

Your emotional intelligence comes into play here because you must be able to identify an important thing, determine whether you feel like doing something about it, and take action if you want to succeed.

Think about it- when you were a kid, you might not have had many toys, but you still got along well with your parents and siblings. You made sure everyone else was okay and then you would ask yourself why you didn’t have any toys.

This is a skill set that people who grow up to be successful possess- they're aware of their own limitations and those of other people, and they make decisions accordingly.

Fortunately, you can improve your emotional intelligence just like anything else. Here are some tips to help you strengthen your EQ.

I’m not very emotional intelligent

We are all born with a certain amount of emotional intelligence (EI). You feel things, for the most part, easily and you use emotions to help you function in everyday life.

Some people learn how to control their emotions at an early age while others grow more advanced as they get older.

However, unless you work to develop your EI, it can sometimes be nonexistent or even worse than being low-level EI.

That is why it is important to recognize your strengths and weaknesses related to emotion.

You will also need to practice using your emotions to motivate yourself and helping you deal with difficult situations.

This article will talk about some ways to improve your emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence isn’t everything

Many people seem to believe that being emotionally intelligent means you are able to control your emotions, which is definitely a part of it. But there’s another important aspect of emotional intelligence that gets overlooked.

You don’t have to know how to manage your own emotions to be emotionally intelligent. You can also need to understand what makes other people feel good or bad so that you can help them relax or work through their issues.

This is sometimes called “empathy,” but that term can be tricky because some people may think it implies feeling sorry for someone else.

That’s not what we mean when we talk about empathy. Rather, understanding why someone feels a certain way helps us relate to her more effectively. It helps us figure out what she needs in order to feel happier. —Embrace change

To put it simply, emotional intelligence comes in parts, like talent does. Some people are naturally smart about emotion, just like they might be talented at music, art, cooking, or something else.

It’s important, but it’s not everything

Many people seem to think that having more emotional intelligence means being better at reading other people’s emotions and controlling your own feelings.

But this definition of EQ is too narrow.

Emotional intelligence isn’t just about feeling and reasoning – it also includes understanding what makes others feel good and how to motivate them.

It takes much more than raw emotion to make someone happy or give you a strong sense of motivation. - Emotionally intelligent leaders know this!

And while emotional quotient (EQ) may be slightly easier to measure in comparison with things like empathy, it's only part of the picture when it comes to leadership effectiveness.

This doesn't mean one is more important than the other, but rather they each have their place. In fact, many experts believe that becoming more emotionally intelligent can help increase leadership effectiveness.