| Grandmother, What Big Eyes You Have: An EQ | | | | children to be safe? By teaching them to trust their |
| Tale, | | | | instincts. Now we say, If something feels funny, |
| | | | run away. Some children tend to be too trusting |
| Well, you know how the fairytale goes
Little Red | | | | of people, animals, heights, swimming pools, and cars |
| Riding Hood heads out into the woods to see her | | | | and this can put them in jeopardy. If you feel scared, |
| grandmother. First she fails to notice the wolf when | | | | pay attention. |
| he approaches her in the woods, but goes gaily on | | | | Little Red Riding would have had all sorts of cues |
| her way. | | | | that something was amiss — a strange smell, |
| Then, when she arrives at her Grandmother’s | | | | things arranged differently, maybe the hair stood up |
| house things look suspicious and she sticks around to | | | | on the back of her neck, of a chill ran down her |
| comment — Grandmother, what big eyes | | | | spine. Feelings such as these are there to help us; |
| you have! ending with the familiar line | | | | they keep us alive. They’re strong, because |
| Grandmother, what a big mouth you have! | | | | they’re designed to over-ride thinking |
| followed by The better to eat you with my | | | | and impel immediate action. Little Red Riding did |
| dear. | | | | exactly what she shouldn’t have in a possibly |
| Fairytales were designed to teach us life lessons. The | | | | dangerous situation — she started asking |
| lesson in this fairytale is one of the key points in | | | | questions. |
| emotional intelligence — learning to pay | | | | As adults, we receive the same cues and need to |
| attention to your emotions, your instincts. | | | | learn to heed them. If something smells fishy |
| Emotional intelligence means understanding and | | | | it probably is, no matter what you’ve been |
| managing your own emotions and those of others. | | | | told or led to believe. If you get the creeps |
| Our emotions predate our ability to think as | | | | getting out of your car in a dark, empty parking lot, |
| human beings, and are strong cues to us for one | | | | pay attention to this signal. If someone is promising |
| reason: survival. | | | | you something and it doesn’t feel right, |
| Part of emotional intelligence is learning to hear how | | | | you’re getting a message for a reason. |
| your emotions and your intuition talk to you, to pay | | | | Intuition is an emotional intelligence competency |
| attention to the message, trust it and act accordingly. | | | | we’re all born with, but we can learn to pump |
| When I ask people in workshops how they know | | | | up the volume, invite it into our life for the guide it |
| when it’s intuition, they say because | | | | can be, and heed its messages. It’s important |
| I’m absolutely sure. Intuition is an EQ | | | | all the time, but if you have a dangerous occupation |
| competency that can be developed and it can help | | | | (such as nuclear engineering), it’s especially |
| you make better decisions, use better judgment, and | | | | important. |
| maybe even save your life. | | | | Don’t get caught staring into a mouth of |
| This is a child’s tale, but how do we teach | | | | wolflike teeth and starting to count the molars! |
