Many years ago, I wrote on my whiteboard: “Control someone’s emotions, control them.” I came to this conclusion after witnessing the reactive nature of large groups of people. Highly charged emotions such as anger and fear are highly contagious. Anger is flammable. Fear is infectious.
But this is not just applicable to large groups of people. This is also applicable to the individual. We have no agency if we always let our circumstances dictate our reactions. Yes, there will always be things to deal with in life. But weak action sprouts from fear and anger. If we want to have more agency, then we need to be more present and composed.
We don’t want external influences to dictate our destiny. We don’t want other people’s agendas to constantly derail and distract us. We don’t want our own anger to endlessly sabotage us. And we don’t want fear to delay us from doing the work that matters. This is the most important reason to cultivate emotional awareness. This is why it is worth it to take years and decades to develop emotional maturity. The first step starts today.