The Pandemic Offers An Opportunity to Layer A Financial Aspect Into Emotions

As I continue on my quality life journey, I’ve realized what is foundational to everything I do: A deep passion to educate others about the importance of their behavioral traits, including how those influence the financial decisions we make. 

This is a reawakening – slightly different from a light-bulb moment – as I’ve always known I have a passion for educating. But the pandemic’s lockdown has enabled a significant breakthrough in my thinking.

Now, as I shift my thoughts to leading a quality life, I have a much clearer vision for how to achieve it. I find myself wanting to use my expertise to make a bigger difference in the life of others; more particularly, the financial education of the young.

Emotional + financial intelligence

Taking this thought one step further inspired me to look for ways to educate all age groups – but, again, particularly the young – to understand and manage their Financial EQ. As you know, emotional intelligence (or “emotional quotient” or EQ) refers to how we understand and leverage emotions in positive ways. Well, Financial EQ takes that a leap further: Assessing and managing others so they can identify, use and understand the emotions present as they make financial decisions.

In my work I am already heavily involved in the financial and behavioral science spaces, and like many of my friends and colleagues, we are successful yet burdened by having spent this past eight months chasing the meaning of life in new ways.

Now as we begin to think of our individual and collective journeys beyond the pandemic, I need practical ways in which I can fulfill the quality life I now wish to live. (And help others live.) In keeping, I recently re-read The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and was drawn to Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Education, empowerment & bold action

One of the key elements of being able to lead a quality life is knowing you have the ability to make money. To be financially confident in your ability to make the right decisions, meet the markets where they are (with the assurance that you have made the right decisions) and manage the emotions that always come with unsettled markets.

Part of my passion and one of my roles is educating people to understand behavioral impulses – and how to manage them. To help them get a better grip on outside influences that sway decision making, such as friends, the latest fad, television, social media and more. To understand what drives our need for feeling the “high” of success and the “low” of failure.

Education may not be your gateway to leading a more sustainable quality life, but for me it’s certainly shifted my behavior away from the troubles of a pandemic into a space where I can use my “educating” skills to help others find and manage their Financial EQ. And that’s a good feeling!

In addition to this time out to assess how to live a quality life stimulated me, I now feel a greater sense of empowerment and a determination to take bold actions to achieve the goals I am setting to lead that quality life. I hope you will join me on this journey.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.