I've been reading this book for awhile...I think I first picked it up sometime in 2009. I found it slow going - I got through 3 or 4 chapters and just put it down. It was recommended by a, well, I'll call him a coach - someone who has been working with my group for awhile. The book just wasn't resonating with me. Then, it was April last year, that I recognized some things in myself that I wanted to improve, and it's one of those books where I think you just have to be ready for it. I picked it up again and started reading it from the beginning, and it made a whole lot more sense. It was a book I needed (and wanted) to study - to consider the concepts, see how I could apply them. I finally finished it for real today - and that included going through the whole last section of the book and making notes on the suggestions - which ones I had been putting in place and practicing, and which ones I still wanted to take action on.

So, in the end, it was an effective book for me - a good book. The first section is about the physical component - describing why we act the way we do and where it comes from. The second section describes a process, step-by-step, that someone can take to evaluate their emotional intelligence, identify one's triggers and work on training themselves to respond in more constructive ways. The main focus of the last section to me was to provide a number of practical suggestions; I've made a list of a number of them that I'm considering, along with the ones that I'm currently practicing.

I feel that the book has helped me to be a better person - and what better accolade can you give to this type of book? ( )