I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what happens to our EQ competencies when we’re stressed or compromised. This came about after taking the SEI several months ago and then taking it again recently with dramatically different results. I thought about the ‘snapshot’ concept and tried to place my frame of mind the first time I took it. Upon reflection, I could think of quite a few reasons why the results might have been as surprising and low as they were the first time around, based on my state of mind and body and heart at the time. I could also imagine many reasons my results might be different the second time around (including actual growth of my EQ!)

I then had a productive debrief with another person where we did a combination of debriefing each other as well as discussing the process in general. We ended up delving into all the valuable information we can gain from seeing which parts of our EQ are actually compromised most when we find ourselves in a difficult time, either for the short or long term. What a great way to approach the tool! It completely changed my view of the first SEI I took. All of a sudden I saw this enormous opportunity to learn amazing and important things about myself from that first report.

Extrapolation? It’s important to realize all we can learn from the ‘down’ side of things if we can open our eyes and hearts and not be afraid to look deep inside.