- Most of them knew about stress management before the term was
ever invented. - They rarely show anger.
- They tend not to fret.
- They have a good sense of humor.
Sounds an awful lot like emotional intelligence, doesn’t it? Controlling
stress, anger, and anxiety, and keeping a ready wit? Even though all of these
subjects had suffered multiple losses of spouses, siblings, and/or friends,
they somehow learned to work through these difficulties and forge ahead.
Researcher Margery Silver noted that they seemed to be “low in neuroti-
cism and high in conscientiousness” and most often “dependable at home
and on the job.”
Living long is about good habits and ageless attitudes. This is where
you want to focus if you truly want to outlast your competition.
FIRED UP OR BURNED OUT
What is the difference between being fired up or burned out with the
work you do?
According to a recent “Professional Work Force” survey by Peter Mc-
Laughlin Co., it could be one simple thing: whether or not you possess a
good sense of humor. According to this survey, a sense of humor helps on
the job in three specific ways:
- People with a sense of humor are three times as likely to report top
levels of energy than those who don’t have a sense of humor. - Ninety percent of survey respondents believe that having a sense of
humor helps them to perform better at work. - People with a sense of humor are half as likely to get anxious or frus-
trated fixing a problem and are twice as likely to be able to pull them-
selves out of a bad mood.
A ready wit holds some powerful personal keys to success:- People who laugh often don’t run out of fuel as quickly as the dead
serious. - People who can laugh at their mistakes are quicker to correct them
and therefore perform better.
•People who laugh easily are in better control of their moods and
attitudes.
94 SELLING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE