4 Keys to Effectively Managing Your Emotions

It all begins with self-awareness and presence in the moment.

Photo by Remy_Loz on Unsplash

There’s no such thing as “good” or “bad” emotions. Let’s start there.

While that may seem a bit hard to digest at first, it’s something that proves itself to be true time and again. It isn’t until you accept mistakes and failure as building blocks for success that you realize what a blessing negative emotions can be.

Until you truly immerse yourself in the positive emotions of life, you cannot reap the rewards that come with adopting that mindset. It’s truly about how productively you manage your negative and positive emotions. That’s what emotionally intelligent people do well to live a rewarding life and career.

Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by the incredible real-life story of the amazing, J.K. Rowling.

Before writing the first Harry Potter novel, J.K. Rowling lived with tremendous stress, often questioning herself. She almost let fear, disappointment, anguish and anger consume her. She endured terrible physical and emotional abuse from her ex-husband.

She viewed herself as a failure. Both personally and professionally, it was a bitter fall for a woman who had high expectations of herself. She knew she loved to write- and certainly had a talent for writing- but she was struggling with some internal demons.

How dire did her situation get? She was clinically-diagnosed with depression and even thought about taking the gravest action possible- committing suicide.

Yet incredibly, her drastic circumstances led her to write more and more. She grew out of the depths of depression and used these negative emotions to her advantage.

One of the greatest revelations we will find in our lives is the recognition that we can use positive and negative emotions to propel us toward a life fulfillment and success. Anger can be used to our advantage. So can awe, gratitude and pride, as well as sadness and guilt. Great success stories are built on frustration, anger, fear and pain, as well as wonder, faith and inspiration.

Similarly, hope and joy can catalyze us and lift us to new heights.