“He who knows the universe and does not know himself knows nothing”-Jean De La Fontaine, 1679

In the recent book, The Millionaire Mind, by best-selling author Thomas Stanley, a survey was taken of 733 multi-millionaires throughout the United States. When asked to rate the factors (out of 30) that were most responsible for their success, the top five were:

• Being honest with all people
• Being well disciplined
• Getting along with people
• Having a supportive spouse
• Working harder than most people

All five are reflections of emotional intelligence.

Know Thyself

Emotional self-awareness is the foundation on which most of the other elements of emotional intelligence are built, the necessary first step toward exploring and coming to understand yourself and toward change.

When I look back and reflect on the many conversations I’ve had with clients over the years, probably the biggest breakthrough in regards to their relationship with money has come about when a client has developed and increased their EQ. That’s because money touches so many emotional hot buttons.

So as we enter what could be a volatile year in the stock market and we possibly face the return of last year’s roller coaster ride, it’s wise not only to get your financial house in order, but your emotional house as well.

There are plenty of excellent books on the topic of EQ. Daniel Goleman wrote one of the seminal books on this subject.  If you Google the phrase Emotional Intelligence, you’ll find a plethora of choices. Yes this sounds like a wonky topic, yet having a high EQ is one of the most optimal ways to achieving peace of mind around your money. Give it a try; it will be so worth it.