Bruce Lee, the legendary martial artist, once said, "Emotion can be the enemy. If you give in to your emotion, you lose yourself. You must be at one with your emotions because the body always follows the mind."
One could easily argue that emotions are the most powerful force governing our behavior. In most cases, emotions are the protectors of your well-being. They are your allies and their primary function is to ensure your survival.
Remember the old wise-saying, "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" Emotions are the epitome of that expression.
Science has proven that when left untamed, our basic emotions (anger, joy, disgust, surprise, distress, and fear) would cause you to kill first and ask questions later. Or run first and ask questions later. This is known as Flight or Fight Response.
On an equally detrimental, but sometimes lighter note, emotions will have you shouting, crying, or jumping to conclusions first and asking questions later. Believe it or not all of this is done in the name of survival.
In the heat of the moment, be it physical or psychological, your body initially responds to attacks (i.e. insults) a similar same manner. Think about that.
Although they are supposed to be your friends, emotions can leave you in a world of trouble. The reason this happens is simple.
Human beings are not biologically designed for diplomacy. We are designed for survival.
For countless generations, the emotional brain, also known as the limbic system, has been doing what it does best: keeping us out of harms way. Then along comes the neocortex, the logical brain, to make things much complex.
Now a person knows that if he or she doesn't want to deal with the consequences of doing physical harm to someone else, an insulting remark will often do the trick. Although it's not a physical attack, your emotional brain still recognizes the bad intentions and Flight or Fight Response kicks in.
If you aren't careful, all of a sudden your friends could become your enemies. It takes 3-5 seconds for the chemicals that produce emotions to flood your system producing what is often referred to as an emotional hijacking.
In life and death situations that call for immediate action an emotional hijacking might save your life. (Think about jumping out of the way of a moving car.)
At work, however, an emotional hijacking might cost you your job. It might cost you a deal, kill a negotiation, or ruin a relationship.
Therefore the timeless advice about counting to ten before your respond is verified, not only by common sense, but also science. Counting to ten gives you a chance to use your logical brain.
So, the next time you feel a wave of emotions crashing down on your system, pause and do your best access your neocortex-the logical brain. Joshua Freeman-leading Emotional Intelligence expert-calls it the "six second pause."
For most of us, it's probably even better to take the four additional seconds just to be sure. Because it can be so costly, impulsive behavior is nothing to play with.
When I was growing up my mom used to always say to me, "Al, don't let your friends get you in trouble."
Mom, you never told me that you were talking about my emotions.
One could easily argue that emotions are the most powerful force governing our behavior. In most cases, emotions are the protectors of your well-being. They are your allies and their primary function is to ensure your survival.
Remember the old wise-saying, "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" Emotions are the epitome of that expression.
Science has proven that when left untamed, our basic emotions (anger, joy, disgust, surprise, distress, and fear) would cause you to kill first and ask questions later. Or run first and ask questions later. This is known as Flight or Fight Response.
On an equally detrimental, but sometimes lighter note, emotions will have you shouting, crying, or jumping to conclusions first and asking questions later. Believe it or not all of this is done in the name of survival.
In the heat of the moment, be it physical or psychological, your body initially responds to attacks (i.e. insults) a similar same manner. Think about that.
Although they are supposed to be your friends, emotions can leave you in a world of trouble. The reason this happens is simple.
Human beings are not biologically designed for diplomacy. We are designed for survival.
For countless generations, the emotional brain, also known as the limbic system, has been doing what it does best: keeping us out of harms way. Then along comes the neocortex, the logical brain, to make things much complex.
Now a person knows that if he or she doesn't want to deal with the consequences of doing physical harm to someone else, an insulting remark will often do the trick. Although it's not a physical attack, your emotional brain still recognizes the bad intentions and Flight or Fight Response kicks in.
If you aren't careful, all of a sudden your friends could become your enemies. It takes 3-5 seconds for the chemicals that produce emotions to flood your system producing what is often referred to as an emotional hijacking.
In life and death situations that call for immediate action an emotional hijacking might save your life. (Think about jumping out of the way of a moving car.)
At work, however, an emotional hijacking might cost you your job. It might cost you a deal, kill a negotiation, or ruin a relationship.
Therefore the timeless advice about counting to ten before your respond is verified, not only by common sense, but also science. Counting to ten gives you a chance to use your logical brain.
So, the next time you feel a wave of emotions crashing down on your system, pause and do your best access your neocortex-the logical brain. Joshua Freeman-leading Emotional Intelligence expert-calls it the "six second pause."
For most of us, it's probably even better to take the four additional seconds just to be sure. Because it can be so costly, impulsive behavior is nothing to play with.
When I was growing up my mom used to always say to me, "Al, don't let your friends get you in trouble."
Mom, you never told me that you were talking about my emotions.
About the Author:
Who else is looking for a fun, engaging and inspiring motivational speakers for teens? Then visit his site to find out about how Al Duncan, one of the world's leading motivational speakers for teens can help students build a competitive advantage in the 21st Century.
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