Emotions Are Your Best Friend and Enemy
Relationships June 25th, 2008Emotions are a wonderful human trait and they effect our lives every single day. They guide our spirits, stem from thoughts and steer our behavior. They are a component of each person that makes that person unique while at the same time, something to be shared! Emotions have the force to change lives and can also destroy them. They are intertwined into our beings and part of our actions, triggered by feelings with a visible (by any sense) reaction to others.
The reason I wanted to write about emotions is because its a massive area to learn about that has just as vast implications.
Emotions As Your Best Friend
Emotions have so many great things about them they are easy to relate to a best friend. These are all the emotions that tend to make you feel better, the way a best friend might.
- They are comfortable and enjoyable to have
- They make you happy and generally lift your spirits
- You want more of them or more time with them
- They encourage you to be kind and nice to others
Emotions As Your Enemy
Emotions on the other hand are also like an enemy. They negatively impact your life just as often.
- They encourage you to attack or be mean to others
- They cause fear and anger that hurts you and others
- You don’t want them around and prefer to have less of them
- They are uncomfortable, cause stress and worry in your life
The Power of Emotions
These lists are just tiny examples of all the things that emotions affect. The power of them is huge and the first thing I want to do is put your attention to your emotions. Emotions are on the middle ground between your thoughts and your actions or behaviors. Its your thoughts that generate your feelings which are exposed as emotions and those lead to behaviors in response. Take care of noting that as these emotions can serve as both your friend and foe so watch for it, observe your power of emotions and that of others and learn to see the impact. There is much more to write on the power of emotions, I wanted to spark some thoughts and leave each of you to ponder it. I’d love to hear your thoughts and I hope to add more on this topic in future articles.
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June 25th, 2008 at 12:16 PM
[…] are unavoidable and can be both friends and enemies as Mike points out in his Emotions Are Your Best Friend and Enemy. Make friends not enemies. John Wooden’s take is that Emotion Is Your Enemy […]
April 1st, 2009 at 7:25 AM
The best practical information I have come across on emotion is by Anthony Robbins. I found the 24 pages of chapter ‘Ten Emotions of Power’ pages 246 to 270 of his book ‘Awaken the Giant Within’ shorter and more practical than Golemans’s book on Emotional Inteligence. However the latter is worth reading as it does provide much valuable insight. Also, you may well find, as I have, that the sermon on the mount gives the best concise advice on how to cope with life and cultivate postive emotions.
April 1st, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Allan, great comment, I absolutely agree with you there, from the point of view of Anthony Robbin’s book and that section as well as the sermon on the mount. The emotional aspect of the sermon is hard to put into a positive emotional context for some of it, but the positive impact of it as well tie it that.
Thanks for your thoughts!