EQ's Toughest Knot

Resilience literally is the return to form—bouncing back, but to many resilience is also endurance, and even transformation—weathering challenges and even driving through setback, trauma or difficulty and coming out changed—even improved—on the other side. If resilience is some combination of these things, no wonder people are talking so much about it. “What can I do to be stronger, shoulder more burden, and bounce back from the trials that diminish me?” What a great question.

EQ gives us a great answer.

While the whole of EQ-i model is a collection of emotional and behavioral components, all of which can contribute to resilience, at the core of the EQ-i model is a trinity of EQ elements that underpins directly our ability to be resilient—Self-Regard, Self-Actualization and Optimism. Understanding the primacy of these EQ elements and learning to access and even develop these elements are efforts that contribute directly to your ability to endure and to return to form—to be resilient in the face of a challenging world.

Self-Regard: Your ability and tendency to see yourself—your positive and negative qualities alike—and regard yourself as a good and likable person. Self-confidence and self-esteem come from Self-Regard.

Self-Actualization: Your ability and tendency to set meaningful goals and strive toward their completion. Perseverance, ambition and drive are rooted in Self-Actualization.

Optimism: Your ability and tendency to see the future as holding success for you. Hope and faith come from Optimism.

The most complex EQ knot: Each of these three critical EQ Elements—Self-Regard, Self-Actualization and Optimism—depends on the other two, and within the EQ-i assessment, these Elements tend to hang (be similar in score) with each other. Developing any one of them has the tangential benefit of developing the other two. The development of these core EQ Elements also directly impacts resilience.

OKA is the leading EQ-i Certification provider in North America with interactive training options both in-person and online. Click here to check out OKA’s EQ-i/EQ360 Certification options.