The Queen of Hearts: The Confessions of An ‘Accidental’ Leader

I didn’t purpose to be in the space that I find myself in.  God plucked me from the path that I had set out for myself & set me on an alternative journey. At the start it all appeared somewhat ‘accidental’ but I know now that it was no accident, rather His design, His purpose for my life… 

So now that I am here, these are my confessions…the lessons I am learning about being a woman in business, building an empire, one brick at a time…

We are living in a time of fear, uncertainty and very big feelings. When big feelings arise, we tend to get into short-term thinking.

How does uncertainty drive us?

How can we deal with it?

In this quarter’s Six Seconds EQ Café, we explored how emotions, and Emotional Intelligence, help us handle uncertainty. Learning to be “smarter with feelings” – especially those that make us feel uncomfortable – is valuable for all of us.  Ideally, as with all feelings, when we use EQ, we can better understand the feeling and it can help us to make changes in our lives to take care of what’s most important. 

As we dug deeper, to understand how we can use uncertainty as a tool to push us forward, we learned some interesting facts shared by Six Seconds; 

• Research has shown that people prefer to know something bad is going to happen rather than uncertainty. In a 2018 study from University College London, participants found uncertainty to be more stressful than a certain, negative outcome. 

• Uncertainty presents an opportunity to break old patterns and establish new ones.Uncertainty can actually boost learning, according to research from Yale University. When we’re in stable, predictable environments, the brain tends to operate “on autopilot” to conserve energy, and just do what it’s always done. But when we’re in uncertain, unpredictable environments, the brain absorbs and filters information more effectively. 

• Learned optimism is a powerful tool to combat the effects of uncertainty. 
  Learned optimism techniques have been found to reduce anxiety and depression, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. Learned optimism means consciously reacting to adversity in a new way, combating negative self-talk and promoting an optimistic explanatory style. 

BIG uncomfortable feelings cause us to fall back into our old patterns, as the brain pushes for safety. Challenge yourself, and interrogate the patterns you fall back into.  Are they serving you?  If not, perhaps it’s time to make a change. 

Emotional Intelligence is being more aware, more intentional & more purposeful. To find balance in this season you are going to need it in spades! 

Stay Safe. With Love,

The Queen Of Hearts 
Mucha Mlingo
| Six Seconds EQ Practitioner | Master Trainer & Facilitator | 
| Award Winning International Keynote Speaker |