Instead of just banking on intelligence and good grades to determine how far up the success ladder you can climb, there are quite a few other skills and traits that you can sharpen and enhance to get you there.
This infographic from Headway Capital says that there are 8 other factors apart from intelligence that can help you to success.
Many experts now believe that a person’s emotional intelligence (EQ) may be more important than their IQ and is certainly a better predictor of success, quality of relationships, and overall happiness.
Emotional intelligence is essential to building a balanced life.
If you think emotional intelligence is only important for those who always have to interact or communicate with people, think it again. Emotional intelligence is very important to a balanced life. It’s essential to basically every aspect of life.
Physical Health – The ability to take care of your body and especially to manage your stress, which has an incredible impact on your overall wellness, is heavily tied to your emotional intelligence.
Mental Well-Being – Emotional intelligence affects your attitude and outlook on life. It can also help to alleviate anxiety and avoid depression and mood swings. A high level of emotional intelligence directly correlates to a positive attitude and a happier outlook on life.
Relationships – By better understanding and managing your emotions, you are able to communicate your feelings in a more constructive way. You are also better able to understand and relate to those with whom you are in relationships. Understanding the needs, feelings, and responses of those we care about leads to stronger and more fulfilling relationships.
Conflict Resolution – When we can discern people’s emotions and empathize with their perspective, it’s much easier to resolve conflicts or possibly avoid them before they start. We are also better at negotiation due to the very nature of our ability to understand the needs and desires of others.
It’s easier to give people what they want if we can perceive what it is.
Success – Higher emotional intelligence helps us to be stronger internal motivators, which can reduce procrastination, increase self-confidence, and improve our ability to focus on a goal.
It also allows us to create better networks of support, overcome setbacks, and persevere with a more resilient outlook. Our ability to delay gratification and see the long-term directly affects our ability to succeed.
You can find comfort in knowing that 8 other traits — people skills, empathy, passion, a growth mindset, resilience, openness to new experiences, self-regulation, and conscientiousness — can get you there just the same. As to how, well, for that, you will need to check out the infographic and the sources to find out.