The Single Most Important Determinant of our Life Success

The way we deal with our inner world – our thoughts, emotions, and self-stories – is the single most important determinant of our life success. It drives our actions, careers, relationships, happiness, health; everything. For example, do we let our self-doubts, failings, shame, fear, or anger hold us back? Can we persevere toward key life goals, but just as importantly, have the insight and courage to recognize when these goals are not serving us, and adapt?

A few years ago, I wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review about a concept I called “Emotional Agility.” The idea took off like wildfire—it was one of the most shared articles of 2013, and HBR ended up heralding Emotional Agility as the Idea of the Year. Most importantly, the responses I received from individuals who read the piece and learned about this concept were incredibly moving. The idea of being accepting of our emotions, "good" or "bad", rather than suppressing them, was immediately helping people in meaningful ways.

The message of the piece was this: instead of suppressing our so-called negative thoughts and feelings in the service of positivity - as so much conventional wisdom tells us to do - we can be significantly more effective if we approach our emotions in a mindful, values-drive, and productive way—developing what I call Emotional Agility.

I’ve gone on to expand the research and deepen the concepts and now my book, Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life, will be published next month.

In addition to the book, I wanted to create something else that would make it even easier for people to embark on learning about their emotions and, in turn, to cultivate behaviors, habits and relationships that more effectively reflect what truly matters to them.

To that end, I’ve created a quiz to help folks learn about their own current levels of emotional agility.

The quiz—which is available for free and takes about five minutes to complete—gives you personalized feedback on how to be more effective with your thoughts and emotions, so you can come to your everyday choices and your life with more intention and insight. Like so many people have already found, in their home life, their work, and their relationships, Emotional Agility helps you cultivate real thriving.

At the end of the quiz, you’ll receive a free 10-page personalized report offering specific strategies to help you become more Emotionally Agile.

I believe this tool can help people take a small, but meaningful step forward in becoming more emotionally agile. A series of intentional, tiny steps over the course of a lifetime can be the key to helping you thrive in work and life.

I’d love to hear from you once you take the quiz and receive your customized report. Share your questions and progress here on LinkedIn and on Facebook and Twitter.

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Susan David, Ph.D., is a Psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School; co-founder and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital; and CEO of Evidence Based Psychology, a boutique business consultancy. An in-demand speaker and advisor, David has worked with the senior leadership of hundreds of major organizations, including the United Nations, Ernst & Young, and the World Economic Forum. 

Her new book, Emotional Agility, will be released in the US on September 6, 2016. Pre-order now and you'll be entered to win a free, personal consultation with Susan via Skype.

Get a free chapter from Emotional Agility when you join her weekly newsletter with insights about how organizations and individuals can succeed by becoming more emotionally agile.