Have a heart

IT’S TIME for the third installment in Bill’s Body, Mind, Heart and Soul series. Today we look at Heart and how interpersonal relationships and emotional intelligence can impact on our overall well being.

Heart is about interpersonal relationships and emotional intelligence. There are five main components, linked to some of Stephen Covey’s renowned 7 Habits that relate to emotional intelligence.

1. Self-awareness: Be proactive – you can control and are accountable for your responses to stimuli.

2. Personal Motivation: Begin with the end in mind – develop and understand your values and vision for the future.

3. Self-regulation: Put first things first – dedicate more time to the important and less time on the urgent and sharpen the saw – continually renew yourself.

4. Empathy: Seek first to understand, then to be understood – put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to consider their interests.

5. Social skills: Think win-win – find mutual benefit and respect.

When you boil it down, it ends up being about love and care. We are unique in our desire to connect with and contribute to people in our lives.

One last thing. It is interesting that science has found a correlation between a strong immune system when we express heartfelt love and care. So, have a big heart!

 -Bill