Emotional Intelligence is So Important in Our Lives

I have been enthralled by Emotional Intelligence (EI) throughout my career in education. Over the years, I have spent lots of time understanding, teaching, and implementing EI in my work and life. To see what I mean, do a search in this blog by typing in "Emotional Intelligence" and see the posts I have dedicated to EI resources. Here are just a few posts:

• For All Educators -> Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence (7/3/15)

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (3/3/17)

• On Cue Everyone, "Consider EQ Before IQ": Leading with Emotional Intelligence (12/31/21)

-------------------------------------------------------

Here is the latest EI resource I have grabbed on to ---->

I am in the middle of the book, and it has so much good information on employing EI with teams. I bumped into the author, Dr. Vanessa Druskat, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of New Hampshire when we both presented at the May TEDx Portsmouth. Here is a link to her presentation. She gives so much strong information regarding team building in her talk AND in her book.

Stay Connected by Reading to Children

Reading to children does help to be more in control of living with AI — for them AND for parents and educators. Back in June 2023, the Montessori Leadership magazine spring edition published my article "Cosmic Education and the Seven Great Lessons for 2023" to help educators and parents help children. 

On June 25, I presented a Montessori Leadership Forum webcast to educators/parents to hear their take and discuss AI, social media, and the whole new world of technology. Here is a link to the presentation that is 55 minutes long and begins at 3:34. 

WHAT IF . . . Reading to Children

I had an amazing opportunity to talk about the importance of reading to children and read the book I wrote — Forward Backwards THE SAME — at the recent TEDx Portsmouth 2025 event at the Music Hall. I read to an audience with over 900 people. The audience was so engrossed, and the TEDx staff was outstanding in how they presented all 14 individual speakers, moving towards a "What If . . ." theme.

Here is an excellent GRANITE GOODNESS website review by Andy DeMeo presenting all that TED does.

Supercommunicators

Supercommunicators caught my attention right from the beginning with author Charles Duhigg highlighting the importance and use of emotional intelligence throughout the book. As an example, he states "One of the reasons supercommunicators are so talented at picking up on how others feel is because they have a habit of noticing the energy in others' gestures, the volume of their voices, how fast they are speaking, their cadence and effect."

Here is more of getting to know Charles Duhigg and his good work via his TEDx Manchester video . . . 

Stop Asking for Feedback and Start Asking for Advice

Dan Pink's Pinkcasts are short and present powerful information. He is one of my favorite authors, advisors on leadership, and helper of  others. Take 54 seconds to watch this excellent Pinkcast on "advice v. feedback." 

Link to Dan Pink video

The Art of Asking

Such a beautiful TED Talk with 13M views AND a powerful message on "The Art of Asking." As a singer, Amanda Palmer has a simple but important message when interacting with people . . . 

"And the media asked,

Amanda, the music business is tanking and you encourage piracy. 

How did you make all these people pay for music? 

And the real answer is, I didn't make them. 

I asked them. 

And through the very act of asking people, 

I'd connected with them, 

and when you connect with them, people want to help you. 

It's kind of counterintuitive for a lot of artists. 

They don't want to ask for things. 

But it's not easy. 

It's not easy to ask. 

And a lot of artists have a problem with this. 

Asking makes you vulnerable." 

Watch her TED Talk to get the full, beautiful picture of asking.

How to Stop Languishing and Start Finding Flow

My introduction to FLOW was when I read Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and subsequently introduced him at a conference.

I love how Adam Grant begins his TED Talk on how to stop languishing and start finding flow . . . 

"I know you all have long to-do lists, 

but I hate wasting time so much that I have a to-don't list. 

Don't scroll on social media, 

don't check my phone in bed 

and don't turn on the TV 

unless I already know what I want to watch."

Happiness v. Meaning in Your Life?

Emily Esfahani Smith's TED Talk "There's more to life than being happy" gives great insight on the differences in happiness in life and having meaning in life. 

Smith goes on to say "Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but I came to see that seeking meaning is the more fulfilling path. And the studies show that people who have meaning in life, they're more resilient, they do better in school and at work, and they even live longer."

She goes on to talk clearly about . . . 

. . . THE FOUR PILLARS OF MEANING

1) Belonging   2) Purpose   3) Transcendence   4) Storytelling

Here is here beautiful TED Talk that has over 13M views — 

What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Here is a very special TED Talk. See below for the 8-minute Talk by Adora Svitak — "What Adults Can Learn From Kids." As of this blog post it has 7M views. 

Laugh at Yourself

Some great advice from the weekly JAM (Just A Minute to read). If you have not done so already, go to the JAM website when you have a chance.

Here are two quotes from the January 26, 2024 JAM – "Laugh at Yourself":

"It is so important to not take yourself too seriously. Laughing at yourself shows humility and brings us closer together."

"When you can laugh at yourself it displays a softened ego. It shows that you do not think you are better than others. Learn to laugh at yourself."

How to Know a Person

Author and NYTimes columnist, David Brooks's, newest book is so helpful in understanding and building relations with others, especially for parents and teachers working with each other in support of child education and role modeling.

Here are a couple of quotes about how to know a person:

 

Chapter 11: The Art of Empathy 

"Empathy consists of at least three related skills. First there is the skill of mirroring." 

The second empathy skill is mentalizing.

The third empathy skill is caring. 

Chapter 17: What is Wisdom? 

"Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life."

These two chapters alone make this such an important book to read.

Here is a PBS seven-minute interview with David.

Click here for a wonderful hour-long video of David presenting the book at the Free Library of Philadelphia AUTHOR EVENTS; you will get an in-depth view that has been viewed by over 1M people.

Does AI Actually Understand Us?

 "Is AI [Artificial Intelligence] as smart as it seems? Exploring the 'brain' behind machine learning, neural networker Alona Fyshe delves into the language processing abilities of talkative tech (like the groundbreaking chatbot and internet obsession ChatGPT) and explains how different it is from your own brain - even though it can sound convincingly human." (From TED Talk caption)

Here is her TED Talk on the subject. It is well done and helps in building a better understanding of AI.

Momentum – Dr. Maria Montessori Caring for Children

      Momentum Montessori, a Life in Motion, an historical novel by Elizabeth Slade, is not only captivating, it gives significant insights into Dr. Maria Montessori's life in motion. Included are insight and determination into becoming one of the first women doctors in Italy, her care for her son and mother, and her accomplishments caring for children throughout the world are beautifully told throughout the book. Dr. Montessori was a determined woman.

      Here is a quote from "Chapter 8 • 1906" (pg. 134) that captures her insights into caring for children: "It seemed what they [children] most desired was a prepared environment with real activities to occupy their hands. It seemed the most effective way was to offer them the instruction individually, with few words."

Helping Children - 7 Ways to Find More Meaning in Your Life

I discovered GoodRx from a friend and physician and how it supports ongoing health information.

"7 Ways to Find More Meaning in Your Life" is one of the great articles passed on to subscribers. These "7 Ways" certainly serve as role models for children. Here are the "7 Ways," and do click over to the article to get a nice fill-in for each way.

1.  Find your passion

2.  Embody your values

3.  Give back

4.  Reflect on your gifts

5.  Look for role models

6.  Practice gratitude

7.  Think about your legacy

A Look at AI (Artificial Intelligence) via Dr. Montessori's Great Lessons

 "Cosmic Education And The Seven Great Lessons For 2023?" is an article I wrote and is published in the latest issue of Montessori Leadership from the International Montessori Council. 

With the advent and persistence of AI and its impact on humanity, and with much more to come, I reviewed Dr. Montessori's Five Great Lessons — that are a part of the article — to see how they might be reviewed and used to prepare us for the unanticipated realities of AI and to  make sure that love never goes away from our lives.

We have so much to do for ourselves AND our children to help all of us manage the rise in AI.

When Should You Reach Out to an Old Friend or Colleague?

Here is a 96-second podcast by author Daniel Pink. Short as they always are, Daniel gives excellent advice. Watch and listen to what he has to say about reaching out to an old friend or colleague. 

The Body Keeps the Score

The Body Keeps the Score a phenomenal book by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., explains so much of why we are struggling with so much trauma over the past few years. The book has been on the NYTimes Paperback Nonfiction Book List 231 weeks. This past week it was number four on the Combined Print and E-Book Best Sellers list, which it has been on for 135 weeks. AND, the book has a copyright of 2015! Not an easy book to read, Kolk has so much insight based on his experience and research over so many years. The last two sentences in the last chapter say so much — "Trauma is now our most urgent public health issue, and we have the knowledge necessary to respond effectively. The choice is ours to act on what we know."

I will let Lara Hammock at Marble Jar Channel give you her excellent summary of the book. Invest the 10 minutes to view this excellent video.

The Light We Carry

If you have not read Michelle Obama's The Light We Carry, do find it at your local library, borrow it, or buy it. And, if you don't have the time to read the whole book, do get to the library or a book store and at least read Chapter 3 — "Starting Kind." She also does a nice job on explaining the life of "When they go low, we go high" statement she made at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Would versus Could

When you watch this Daniel Pink research-based two minute Pinkcast, you will get some simple, powerful advice when you are confronted with a problem.

Using Judgement in Life & Work

 

Great advice from Sarah Gardner in the January 27 Weekly JAM (Just A Minute).

"I think one of the things we struggle with the most is judgement. Judgement of ourselves, judgement of others, judgement of beliefs and ideas...honestly, judgement of life. It's important to try to be better and ask the world to be better but not when it comes from a place of judgement.

Judgement is born and bred from our ego. It's that voice in our head that says you have control over what is not in your control. It's the voice in our head that says you have control over what is not in your control. It's the voice that says you are not equal to others. It's the voice of the past and the voice of the future. Clearing the mind of judgement allows for calm and equanimity. 

Judgement is always self-absorbed. We judge because we are dissatisfied with how things are and we desire to have things be the way we want them to be. Remember: Life just is...we put the meaning to it."