By Jarrett Robertson
I grew up in Kingston, Ontario, where hockey was my ultimate dream. I was extremely fortunate that my talent and hard work earned me a scholarship to the Ivy League, where I played hockey for the Brown University Bears. After graduating in 2006, before transitioning into the financial services industry, I spent two and half years playing semipro hockey throughout the U.S., trying to make the big leagues.
Shortly after my hockey career was over and I “hung up the skates,” I was lucky to connect with an old friend who helped get me involved in the fitness industry. It was from there that I learned so much about overall health and wellbeing, and it’s those things that have been paramount in my success, both personally and professionally.
What I found is that, like anything in life, you can research more, dig deeper, go further, climb higher, etc., but what I have learned is that it’s the littlest things that we can do every day that will actually help us get started—the prologue, if you will. People do not plan on failing, but people do fail to plan.
I help motivate people by always looking for a solution on how to achieve success or solve a problem and by always being positive. Life is not too short; life is extremely valuable.
Small changes you can make every day can lead to big results Water
Two reasons WHY drinking water is so vitally important to your overall health and wellbeing and will be just the catalyst you need to start drinking a little more H2O.
1- Drinking Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Bodily Fluids
The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. This is everything our bodies need to do in a day, and water helps them do it!
2- Water Helps Energize Muscles
Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, which can result in muscle fatigue. When muscle cells don’t have adequate fluids, they don’t work as well, and performance can suffer.
Make Yourself Laugh
Next time you’re in the car or somewhere by yourself, try laughing. You don’t have to think of anything funny; just start laughing. By laughing before you start your day, your workout, a meeting, an activity, or whatever it may be, you’re setting yourself up to feel awesome (proven by science).
Short‐term Benefits – Laughing stimulates your organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air; stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles; and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain. Think about the person that you run into who has just finished laughing. You immediately know and ask (or say), “Wow, you’re in a good mood,” or “What’s so funny?” And chances are, you smile right along with them. It’s contagious!
Long‐term Effects – Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. Watch things, listen to things, and do things that you like and that make you laugh. It’s healthy!
Increase Personal Satisfaction – Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people. Go figure! People want to be with people that make them smile. You want to be with people that make you smile, so be the person who laughs and smiles.
Music
Most of us have learned that music is for entertaining. Listening to music can also be therapeutic, relieving feelings of stress so that you can concentrate better. Research suggests that there are 6 kinds of music to listen to that can help you improve your mood, relieve stress, concentrate better, be more productive, increase your focus, and feel awesome.
Note that 4 out of 6 recommendations (and potentially 6/6, depending on your preference) have no words. This is very important!
Classical – Listening to classical composers can enhance brain activity and act as a catalyst for improving your health and wellbeing. The absence of words seems to be the main factor, as songs that contain lyrics have been found to be a distraction when you’re trying to focus.
Cinematic – Cinematic music scores can be empowering, lift your spirits, and brighten your mood. How is it that a movie scene can cause you to burst into tears or have you on the edge of your seat in a battle scene? The music is scientifically designed to move you in ways you can’t do on your own. Try watching one of your favorite scenes in silence; I promise it will not have the same effect.
Music Between 50 and 80 Beats per Minute – An “alpha state of mind” is what scientists associate with “right-brain” activity, or our subjective senses of imagination, creativity, memory, and intuition. When we are awake, we are typically in a state of mind known as “beta,” a heightened state of alertness where brain wave activities are between 14 and 30 Hz. When our brain slows to between 7 and 14 Hz, we’re in a more relaxed alpha state of mind, which allows us to be more receptive and open and less critical. The state of mind is what scientists associate with activities that involve our imagination, memory, and intuition, including our “eureka” moments. Listening to music set in the 50 to 80beat range puts the brain into an alpha state.
How to improve your Emotional Intelligence and why it’s more important than IQ
Why EI Is More Important Than IQ
A growing body of evidence suggests that a quality we’ve overlooked may be more important than we realize. This quality is emotional intelligence, and many today believe it’s more important for business success than IQ.
IQ v. EQ
We all know about IQ. IQ stands for “intelligence quotient,” and it is basically a measure of academic intelligence. IQ is determined by your performance on standardized tests with a variety of different tasks. IQ is very important if you’re going to college, but what about in life generally? Emotional intelligence, which is also called emotional quotient (EQ), is your ability to perceive, understand, and regulate emotions. It is, therefore, the foundation of all people-skills or “soft skills.” Finally, EI can be learned, and IQ cannot. Through skills and training, you can improve your emotional intelligence, and this is why it’s now playing a key role in business management.
Success in Life
A high IQ is no guarantee of success in life. Rather, studies have shown that people with EI are more likely to be successful in both their personal and professional lives. The reason is that IQ helps you solve problems, learn things, reason, and remember details. But with high emotional intelligence, you’re more self-aware and more in control of your emotions. You’re also more empathetic and positive. These are factors that have a greater impact on success than academic intelligence or hard skills. Emotions drive people. High emotional intelligence is linked with high motivation. People with high EI have a drive that goes beyond the desire for money or title. Their inner motivation pushes them toward achieving their goals.
EI for the Future
One of the reasons why EI research is on the rise today is that it seems to have more relevance to the changing modern business world. IQ helps with innovation, and that’s important. But IQ can’t solve the major problems the world faces today. In fact, people are more stressed, lonely, and isolated today in this high-tech world that IQ has given us. IQ also doesn’t help us connect with others or build strong relationships. IQ is far from useless. It helps in many different situations, with logic, problem-solving, creativity, and learning new things. But without a strong foundation of EI first, it’s impossible for us to realize all that our IQ can help with. Improving your emotional intelligence can make a major difference in your life, both professionally and personally, by teaching you more about your own emotions and those of the people around you.
How to Develop EI for leaders
Self Awareness
People who have a healthy sense of self-awareness are what you might call “comfortable in their own skin.” They maintain a good understanding of their own emotions and how their emotions impact those around them. Self-awareness usually includes a healthy level of self-confidence and an ability to laugh at oneself.
Self Regulation
In addition to understanding their own emotions, people who are emotionally intelligent can demonstrate maturity and restraint when revealing them. They don’t suppress or repress emotions but employ judgment and control when expressing them. They think before acting, and they are open to change.
Motivation Emotionally intelligent people are generally optimistic and are driven by inner motivation rather than by a desire for money, titles, or social acceptance.
They have an inner resilience that makes it hard to shake their confidence. Failure is not a big deal to EI people.
Empathy
Strong emotional intelligence comes with a high degree of compassion and understanding of human nature. People with high EI find it easy to connect emotionally with others. This is why EI is important for business; it translates to stellar customer service and excellent “soft skills” or people skills.
Social Skills
Emotionally intelligent people are widely respected by those they know and work with. They generally like people, and they can quickly build genuine rapport and trust. They don’t like “playing games” with people. They also build relationships and personal networks well.
