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From Skeptic to Open: How Note-Taking Made Me More Empathetic
Emotional knowledge is a compound effect
When we think of note-taking, we often picture students and lectures. Big mistake! Note-taking goes well beyond school. It’s a skill that empowers us in many different situations and makes a difference in our lives.
Think of life as a teacher who is full of lessons to deliver. Humans are the eternal students. Note-taking is the learning journey, also for emotions.
“What? Taking notes about emotions? Are you crazy?” Well, let me tell a story.
Skeptical
A few days ago, I followed a course on managing emotions early in the morning. I’m skeptical of every initiative that connects professional and emotional life. Nevertheless, I attended.
To make sure I didn’t fall asleep, I made myself a cup of steaming coffee. I sat down at the desk and connected to the online lesson.
The first half hour passes without me hearing anything new. The coffee did a great job of keeping me awake. Then we move on to the interactive section, where everyone can tell an episode in which they had to manage the emotionality of another person.
One of the participants says, “I was waiting for her to eat a sandwich together…
