For decades, society has strived to increase their IQ so as to earn more money. Turns out that those with high EQ (Emotional Intelligence) earn 70% more than those who have a high IQ.

There are 4 areas of Emotional Intelligence that you can work on to increase your earning potential.

In this article, we’ll unpack the habits of the first area, which is Self-Awareness.

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize & understand your emotions in real-time. We all have pre-set rules for how we’ll respond per experience.

A person with high self-awareness still feels the emotion. They just recognize it for what it is and carefully process it before responding.

A person with low self-awareness on the other hand has a habit of overreacting and then blaming their reaction on others.

Habit #1: Notice Your Feelings

By noticing your feelings you can then begin to seek understanding for why you have them and if there is a repeating pattern.

Are these feelings really from you or from outside influences telling you that this how you should feel?

Then realize however you react will have an impact on others.

A sure-fire indicator that you should not react is when you begin with the words, “I have to say…”

No, you don’t.

You are choosing to say.

Once you understand this, you’ve taken ownership of your feelings and now have the power to control them.

Habit #2: Understand How Your Buttons Get Pushed

Think back and recall a time when you got upset.

What happened?

What is something somebody said or did?

Now look back further to another time when you got upset.

Do you see a pattern?

Were you insulted, ignored, interrupted, mocked?

Once you discover your buttons, begin to explore them to understand why you choose to get upset.

Nobody “made you mad” nor can anybody “make” you do anything.

The truth is, you chose to be upset because of a preset rule that you have for yourself.

Once you own this, you then have the power to control and then change it.

Habit #3: Journaling

Journaling is the highest form of thinking. It is where the rubber meets the road.

It’s where what we think and what we truly understand collide.

It’s also a powerful tool for self-awareness – saving you hundreds of dollars in therapy.

Journaling will help you to see patterns in your thoughts, behaviors, responses, and actions.

As you recognize them, you then have the power to change them.

Habit #4:  Don’t Be Fooled By Your Moods

Some mornings you’ll wake up feeling uninspired or discouraged and it may just be that you didn’t get a good night’s rest. Understand that feelings come and go and we are to acknowledge them, but not focus on them.

On the flip side, you may have just crushed a new goal and you feel great.

Enjoy your win, but realize that it’s temporary and we need to get right back to work.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to be self-aware make sure you implement the habits of noticing your feelings as they happen in real-time without reacting.

Understand how your buttons are pushed and then discover why.

Keep a journal to further develop a deeper understanding of yourself.

Lastly, don’t be fooled by your moods.

Following these 4 habits of Self-Awareness is just the beginning of learning the 4 disciplines will help you to level up your EQ, making you a stronger leader and, according to the book Emotional Intelligence 2.0, you’ll likely make a lot more money as a result.