Why Is This Happening to Me?
A Guide for Learning and Practicing Emotional Intelligence
by
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Today’s media is constantly bombarding us with stories of people acting out of hatred. Our politicians tell us that they will protect us from harm, whatever harm they choose to describe that they say is threatening us. At work we face people with their own personal agendas who try to discredit or undermine us to get their own way. Our marriages and friendships end and we are at a loss for meaningful companionship. At times it seems like we are living in a pressure cooker of emotions that could explode at any moment. How do we live in a fear-based society and keep our sanity? How do we react to constant destructive emotions we experience either inside of us or from others? The answer is emotional intelligence. Exactly what is Emotional Intelligence? Daniel Goleman, who wrote books on the subject, defined it as “being able…to rein in emotional impulse; to read another’s innermost feelings; to handle relationships smoothly—as Aristotle put it, the rare skill ‘to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way.’” If I had to describe emotional intelligence in one word, it would be “understanding.” To explain further, emotional intelligence is a combination of self-awareness and an understanding of the feelings you and others are having and why. Practicing emotional intelligence means acting on this knowledge and understanding. Practicing emotional intelligence results in compassion for yourself and others because you understand the feelings involved. It enables you to control and temper strong emotions that could hurt someone, including yourself. The old sayings: “Walk a mile in my shoes” and “Do unto others as you would do unto yourself” both are practices of emotional intelligence. They both involve understanding and compassion.
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About the Book
Self-improvement books are ubiquitous. Joining the ranks is Kathleen Kelly’s Why Is This Happening to Me?: A Guide for Learning and Practicing Emotional Intelligence. The book speaks about the aspects of society that influence us; what emotional intelligence is and how it affects our lives; how to recognize destructive emotions and what to do about them; and the tools to use for emotional intelligence and how to implement them. Kathleen Kelly has authored the book with everyone in mind, but parents, partners, teachers, people interested in self-improvement, people into spiritualism, bosses, and managers are specific targets. Why Is This Happening to Me?: A Guide for Learning and Practicing Emotional Intelligence is an amalgamation of the best quotes of other authors on how to take on life as an enlightened person. Kathleen includes stories of her own personal experiences as well as others experiencing people practicing emotional intelligence and not. She plans to use the contents of this book as a guide when she teaches emotional intelligence for adult education.
About the Author
Kathleen Kelly was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, the Show-Me state. She was raised in the Catholic religion and attended an all-girls Catholic high school. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Meteorology at St. Louis University and a Master’s Degree in Atmospheric Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Susan worked for the federal government for thirty-five years as an Operational Meteorologist, a Research Meteorologist, a Program Manager, an Acquisition Manager, a Chief of Staff, a CIO, and an IT security Compliance Officer. She retired from the federal government and worked in private industry as a Program Manager for thirteen more years. Kathleen has been reading self-help and spiritual books her entire adult life. As a Program Manager, she worked with and motivated people for over thirty years. She also mentored younger people at various stages in their careers.