In our modern world today It has increasingly become accepted that emotional intelligence is an important factor in our success and happiness, not only at work, but in our relationships and all areas of our lives.

What is Emotional Intelligence -It can be defined as a person’s ability to identify and manage their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. In case the term is new to you that is the definition.

Hence, emotional intelligence is typically said to include three skills.
*Emotional awareness:Is the ability to identify your own emotions and the emotions of others.

*Ability to harness emotions, and apply them to tasks such as thinking and problem solving.

*Ability to manage emotions, regulating your own and also being able to cheer up others or calm them down when they need it.

Everyone, with no exception, can light the fire within him or herself to control their emotions, set their own boundaries, and create emotional limits.

That’s why for simplicity’s sake, in today’s article we want to expose some of the characteristics that are often present in Emotionally Intelligent people you can also learn the habits if you are not emotionally intelligent enough.
1. Emotionally intelligent people know who they are.
Emotionally intelligent people are able to understand what could cause them to feel one way or the other. They can properly identify the location and source of their feelings, and this makes them better at handling conflict or difficult times.

This is no simple task because your emotional life can be very complicated . Knowing what triggers very strong emotions like anger , fear, and joy can be particularly difficult.

2. Emotionally intelligent people are decision makers.
These people may also sometimes be afraid, but they don’t rush into making decisions . Instead, they are able to weigh the pros and cons of each option.
Developing your emotional intelligence will help you recognize and accept your responsibility for your future, making it easier to make plans to get what you want out of life.

3. Emotionally intelligent people can manage their emotions.
It depends more on self-awareness which is  the cornerstones of emotional intelligence. This capacity also helps you recognize your moods, emotions, and feelings.

In addition, being self-aware means that you know how your moods can affect others. Learning to manage your emotions is a key component of emotional intelligence.

The ability to regulate your emotions is synonymous with establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship, both with others and within yourself. Once you’re aware of what you feel, you are the one who governs your emotions, and not the other way around.

4. Emotionally intelligent people are able to empathize.
Empathy, or the ability to put oneself in another person’s shoes, is another pillar of emotional intelligence. Knowing what others are feeling facilitates your relationship and helps you manage any situations that may occur between you.

You might be able to numb your senses, but you are not able to escape from your own or another’s emotions. Indeed, people who make a habit of managing their emotions well are better able to control this dimension.

5. Emotionally intelligent people always recognise that "thought" are causes and emotions are "effects".
Emotionally intelligent people understand that we live in a world strictly governed by the law of cause and effect, which says that “To every effect, there is a cause.” Therefore, they are fully aware that the thought that they permit to dominate their mind determines the emotions that they produce within them.

So, they constantly take control of their thought patterns in order to ensure that the feelings and the emotions they produce are consistent with their goals and ideals. As such, they habitually screen out negative thinking and only allow positive thoughts to germinate within their psyche, thereby producing the emotions that motivate, and not depress.

6. Emotionally intelligent people are highly motivated to reach their goals.
Although they may be concerned about making a certain change in their lives, they know that management of fear is a key to success.

They’re willing to take a leap of faith and make that change because they know it could improve their life, moving them one step closer to achieving long-term goals.
In addition to this, because they are so well equipped to deal with their emotions, they can tolerate high levels of frustration and delayed gratification as they await long-term satisfaction.

7. Emotionally intelligent people are responsible for their own lives.
Being accepting of yourself and having self-confidence can make you more aware of how to commit to things. That means that you become responsible for your joys and failures , making the burden of solving problems up to you and you alone.

8. Emotionally intelligent people are often positive.
Emotionally intelligent people make a conscious decision not to spend time and energy focusing on their problems. They don’t ignore the negatives, but they’d rather look for solutions to a problem than dwell on it.

Watching the news local or global at any point in time, and you will observed that it is just one endless cycle of war, violent attacks, fragile economies, failing companies, and environmental disasters.

It’s easy to think the world is headed downhill fast. And who knows? Maybe it is. But emotionally intelligent people don’t worry about that because they don’t get caught up in things they can’t control.

They focus their energy on directing the two things that are completely within their power—their attention and their effort. Numerous studies have shown that optimists are physically and psychologically healthier than pessimists. They also perform better at work. Remind yourself of this the next time a negative train of thought takes hold of you.

9. Emotionally intelligent people don't hold grudge.
Emotionally intelligent people know that holding a grudge will leave them stuck in the past. They are able to deal with their emotions and accept the lesson learned, then move on and look forward to bigger and better things.

10. An emotionally intelligent person knows how important it is to maintain a healthy balance between their work lives and personal lives.
They don’t let themselves get burned out or over-worked. They work hard when needed, but they also know when it’s time to relax and do something fun.
How can you improve your emotional intelligence?
There’s also no correlation between what we mean by academic intelligence and emotional intelligence. A person can be highly educated, excelling at school, but not in life.

11. Emotionally intelligent people never solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution.
Emotionally intelligent people always calibrate their reactions in proportion to the problem at hand. They do not over-react in the face of uncertainties. They never deploy permanent solution to solve a temporary crisis. Rather, they carefully consider their feelings and emotions before making any crucial decision.

An example of solving a temporary problem with a permanent one is to tell a friend never to speak to you again because he misses your appointment. Another example is when someone kills himself because his girl friend walks away on him. Emotionally intelligent people are highly objective and hopeful people. They like to give life and people more chances than the average person.

12. Emotionally intelligent people understand that real love is not emotions mainly.
How many times have people confused emotions for real love? People often mistake romantic emotional feelings for real love. This is what separates the emotionally intelligent people from the rest – they recognise that real love is built only on commitment and not emotions.

They recognise that emotions are unreliable chemical substances that are subject to change very frequently – sometimes every few minutes. As a result, when they choose to get into a relationship, they understand that that relationship will be full of ups and downs – and if they are to prove their love in that relationship, it will be down to their commitment to that relationship, especially in hard times, and not their feelings. They never let their emotions define their interpretation of love. This protects them from emotional bankruptcy due to emotional over-withdrawal. Even if they decide to walk away from any relationship, they do so because of sound knowledge, and not as a result of overwhelming emotions.

13. Emotionally intelligent people are willing to adequately process their bad feelings.
 Emotionally intelligent people recognise that the cause of several psychological and emotional disorders is repressed and unexpressed negative emotions. Therefore, they never bottle-in their bad feelings. Rather, when life or someone deals with them harshly, they accept that they are hurting and then choose to do whatever it takes to ensure that they adequately process the root-cause of their hurts. They are not afraid of calling for a dialogue or write a letter to resolve a dispute or even letting people off their mental prison in forgiveness in order to free their own soul and sanity.

14. Emotionally intelligent people pick positive people over toxic ones.
our relationships thrive when filled with positive energy and surrounded by positive people; negative people can destroy relationships. High EI people know that there are enough positive people in the world that they don’t need to waste valuable time and energy managing the toxic ones. Manipulative, combative and negative people are not a great fit for any organisation (or relationship) even if they are high flyers.

When someone makes you feel bad about yourself or drains your energy, it is better to move on. Emotionally intelligent people learn how to stand up for themselves and reduce the impact of those who are insincere, dishonest, critical, needy or have destructive habits.

Sometimes people with high EI can be seen as pushovers due to their open and friendly nature, but they have learned to set boundaries and assert themselves when needed. They may be polite and considerate but firm at the same time. High EI people learn to think before speaking and to give themselves time to calm down if their emotions become overwhelming. They know when to say no.

15. Emotionally intelligent people don't allow anyone reduce their joy.
When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself to others, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. When emotionally intelligent people feel good about something that they’ve done, they won’t let anyone’s opinions or accomplishments take that away from them. While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you don’t have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt.

That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within. Regardless of what people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain—you are never as good or bad as they say you are.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENT
This is why in your everyday life there are various actions you can take to help you achieve a better understanding of your emotions:
Get to know yourself better. Ask questions, think about your behavior and know your own values. Some daily introspection can help you mark the before and after in your emotional development.

Control your emotions. This is not an easy task, but it’s worth making the effort to control your emotions. If you feel you’re responding to something in a childish manner, remove yourself from the situation for a minute. Don’t forget that only you have control over your life and how you behave or feel.

Empathize with others. Put yourself in the place of those around you, even in times that it might cause you pain. That will help you understand that everyone has their own story, and the experience will help you cope better with more difficult situations.

Find your daily motivation . Wake up every morning with the hope of advancing your emotional intelligence. Great achievements come from small successes – don’t forget that.

Anyone can get angry. It’s very easy. What’s not so easy is being angry with the right person, at the right time, for the right purpose, and to the right degree.
– Aristotle