Clear Channel Markers Make for Good CommunicationWritten by Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, cEQc, The EQ Coach™
So here I am, driving on wide, beautifully-maintained roads, seeing glimpses of ocean through tall pine trees – occasionally dense, always straight and orderly – and thinking I could not be farther from my hometown of San Antonio, Tx. If Texas is "God's country," there must be more than one! In San Antonio, scrub oaks grow thick and irregular and not very tall. The limbs are gnarled. They bend and twist. One wonders that they grow at all given lack of rain. The pine trees on Florida Gulf Coast grow to sky, straight and tall, and always look like some caring Johnny Pineseed took a plumbing line and planted them carefully 3.5’ apart, then admonished them to “tow line,” stay straight and tall, stand and deliver. It’s especially sweet to me to see “babies.” Evidently they’re prolific and among tall old ones, there are infants, toddlers, and teenagers learning how to become grown-up pine trees. But what’s this? Night has fallen as we head for a restaurant, and along road are signs I’ve never seen before. They stand out almost alarmingly, in Christmas colors of red and green. They have only numbers on them. They are geometric shapes. They reflect headlights in ways billboard manufacturers should know about. What I am looking at are channel markers people have stolen and placed ashore – a bit of Coastal mayhem. My friend is an accomplished sailor and is introducing me to his world. When we walk at night, he shows me Sirius, and Orion with his belt. We search for Big Dipper. He tells me to look at Pleiades from side of my way. Sailors must know sky. It will always be there while instruments will not. It is a distant and silent world, and so is sea.
| | The Top 10 Ways to Have an Emotionally Intelligent Night Before ChristmasWritten by Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, cEQc, The EQ Coach™
Use your EQ skills to have an enjoyable and manageable Christmas! With thanks to Clement Clark Moore.1. 'Twas night before Christmas, when all through house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. Keep Intentionality and Focus in mind. Christmas adds another full-time job to our already busy schedules. Your Intent, no doubt, is to have a good Christmas while keeping all other balls in air and not ending up exhausted or with debt you don't want. Focus on Christmas and everything else in its turn, and get those stockings hung by chimney with care. 2. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap. You need reserves to keep your resilience and stamina up. Take good care of you , your loved ones and your workers -- lots of sleep, but also lots of snuggling. It's not emotionally intelligent to damage a relationship because of Christmas stress. Emotions will be on high, so soothing tones and "visions of sugar plums" -- optimistic thoughts -- will help. Your attitude makes it a happy Christmas. 3. When out on roof there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was matter. Away to window I flew like a flash, tore open shutter, and threw up sash. "Springing," reacting to new things is normal, but don't forget to slow down your "wondering eyes." It's emotionally intelligent to take a second look, or to count to ten. Don't just react -- take a close look at what's going on, give it some thought, collect yourself, and then respond. 4. With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. Use your EQ to read nonverbal signals of people so you can find out what their strengths are and “who” they are. Try StrengthsFinder profile on my website. If Santa's "lively and quick," he doesn't belong in Quality Control Dept. Let him, well, deliver gifts on Christmas! 5. And he whistled and shouted and called them by name: "Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Donner and Blitzen! There is magic in our names, and good leaders, parents and lovers know this. If you want to have impact on someone, use their name. And first of all, be emotionally intelligent enough to learn names of everyone you interact with. If you can't remember someone's names, why would they want to work for you?
|
