As humans, we’re emotional creatures. The career path we take, the films we enjoy, the art we’re drawn to is all influenced by our emotions. Emotions help us choose our friends, those whom we fall in love and stay with for our entire lives…also those whom we’ll leave behind.

Yes, our emotions have power. Emotional intelligence is the ability to harness that power–to understand and manage emotions, so that you can make decisions that are in harmony with your core values and principles.

But we can’t attain true emotional intelligence till we learn to regulate our emotions.

Regulating your emotions is the ability to control your behavior, emotions, and thoughts in the pursuit of long-term goals. More specifically, emotional self-regulation refers to the ability to manage difficult emotions and impulses—in other words, to think before acting.

Regulating your emotions also involves the ability to bounce back from disappointment and to act in a way consistent with your core values.