I am OBSESSED with emojis!! Anyone with me on this? These tiny little faces can state how we are feeling through a picture, and Facebook alone has over 100 different emojis from which to choose. And I’ll tell you, I just LOVE that my husband has gotten into using them. He makes me smile, and seeing his choice of emoji for the day makes me beam!
Yet, in most human contact situations, we have a limited emotional vocabulary of about 12 words: happy, fine, excited, frustrated, stressed, mad, upset, annoyed, exhausted, tired, loved, and my favorite….meh. We tend to see the same emojis used over and over on Facebook or Instagram. And in life, if someone asks us how were doing or how we’re feeling, I can guarantee that you are limited to those same 8 to 12 emotional descriptions. Think about it… when is that last time you said you were “elated”, “overjoyed”, “euphoric”, “awesome” or “erratic”?? Probably not recently, if at all…but they are emotional options, and I don’t know about you, but there are many times when “erratic” would fit the situation perfectly!
I know that some of you might say that those are not emotions, but in fact, my friends, they are! Every one of those listed above is how you feel at any given time. “I feel tired.” “I’m exhausted.” – These are emotional states of being. It’s not like running or biking, which are physical activities. In most instances, there is an unspoken stigma that we do not acknowledge having – a fear of being ourselves, in a sense, because we do not think anyone cares enough to share the information. But in limiting ourselves to the standard emotional answers, we are training our brains and our bodies to be in those states at all times, and in the process limiting our potential to be AWESOME!
Studies show that a person who is able to more accurately describe his or her feelings is more quickly able to address the problem and get to the solution. And the sooner we can get to the solution, the sooner we become productive in our environments, whatever that entails and wherever that may be. In short, you will get more work done, more studying done, more problems completed, more emails typed and sent, more marketing strategies created, more phone calls made, more dished cleaned, more laundry folded, more sleep time in…. get the point? You will be more productive. Period. Simply by understanding your true state of emotion.
Expanding your emotional vocabulary is just one step, but while it may seem easy, it will take some effort.
The next time you feel something, give some thought into how you feel. For example, if you get passed over for promotion that a coworker received, your initial thoughts may show an angry reaction. However, if you take a moment to look deeper, would you find that you are angry or would there be a disappointment that you didn’t interview better?
I have two challenges for you:
- First, make a list of emotions. Come up with as many as you can think of beyond the obvious 10-12. Read that list a few times, and keep adding to it as you realize the many emotions that are available to use.
- The next time you are on Facebook, I challenge you to take a moment to think about how you are feeling in that moment. Dig deep and find that one emoji that never gets used, and put it out there for the world to see.
Start expanding your emotions and EXPAND YOUR POTENTIAL AWESOMENESS!
The E.I. Insider 