6 Bold Ways Emotional Intelligence Helps Build Powerful Relationships

Don’t forget to focus on influencing yourself, as well as others.

Christopher D. Connors
4 min readAug 20, 2021
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Instinctively, we always seek to gain control. We may not think of it as such, but ask yourself this question: what does it feel like to not have influence or control over a situation? It’s an uncomfortable feeling. It makes us feel helpless.

The more I’ve evaluated my conduct and thought impulses in relationships over the years, the more I’ve come to understand how much I crave control. It’s human and natural. But there are consequences. When we live with the results of a mindset conditioned toward control, it ends up backfiring on us.

Emotional Intelligence and Influence

“Success in dealing with people depends on a sympathetic grasp of the other person’s viewpoint.” — Dale Carnegie

What do you crave having control over most? Money? Time? Someone else’s decisions? As an author of two books, I recognize how much I crave time in solitude for using my creative imagination. What resonates most for you?

Take a step back in reflection and you’ll realize no one likes being controlled by another person. We do, however, like to be influenced. Influences begin in our thoughts

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