Importance of Mastering the Emotions

Success in life is based as much or more on our ability to manage our emotions than on our intellectual or analytical capabilities. The facts we've already seen cannot be altered. On a daily basis, we are faced with events that are beyond our sphere of influence. Our subjective experience, on the other hand, can be changed, and the importance we give to outside events is up to us. Emotional control does not imply a lack of feeling. Most people enjoy and value expressions of emotion that are positive and helpful. Emotional mastery is the ability to raise or lower one's own and other people's emotions on purpose to achieve a goal; this has far-reaching implications for our relationships, sense of self-worth, ability to communicate, and happiness in life.