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Can it be true? Is the Hidden Strengths podcast ending? Come hear my thoughts on this year long journey of being a podcaster and what I think you should take away as the most important parts of emotional intelligence.

How can happiness be wrong? Wait, isn’t this what we spend our whole lives chasing? When you apply science and emotional intelligence to the pursuit of happiness, you discover some fascinating insights. Here’s another dose of your favorite counter-intuitive EI. Shownotes: https://www.mikexhuang.com/wronghappiness/

What kind of troubles do people have as they move up the organization? This Ask Mike show focuses on just that. Shownotes: https://www.mikexhuang.com/askmike4/ Contact Me: https://www.mikexhuang.com/contact/

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if it was a game? Surprisingly, this perspective can help you gain more self awareness and cause you to approach situations differently. Some people take this to the next level with something you may have heard called gamification. Imagine being able to have fun challenging yourself while improving. But the big question is, does that actually work? Contact Me: https://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/ Shownotes: https://www.mikexhuang.com/gamification/

Self sabotage. Sometimes we don’t realize we’re doing it. Other times, we even wish for it. Is that really what we do sometimes? Is that where denial comes from? We explore all of that in this episode. Find out the more common kind of denial that even you go through and what you do sometimes to make the world make sense. Shownotes: https://www.mikexhuang.com/denial Contact Me: https://www.mikexhuang.com/contact

When you stop and think, you might realize that much of our world is motivated by incentives. Salary raises, getting our ideal body image, keeping up a good public image as well as everything else in life. You even hear about reality TV shows where people get rewarded or punished depending on if they hit a weight goal. So do incentives really work? Or have we been lied to our whole lives? Shownotes: https://www.mikexhuang.com/incentives/ Contact Me: https://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/

Biology makes you a pretty mediocre listener. You might have heard about how important this skill is...but if combine how your brain works with how you were raised, you get someone who was never truly taught how to listen. Also, find out what are the levers that raise or eat away at your listening skills. Some of them you might already have heard of but there is definitely one that never occurred to you. All of this and more in this episode that goes more in depth than anything before it. Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/truelistening/ Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/contact/

"Be proactive." That's a buzzword you hear all the time. And when you do, you just think it means to take initiative. But that word has a deeper meaning than just that. In this episode, you'll get to find out how I first learned about this through my deep dark teenage years, how I relearned it and why if you or your company doesn't understand this, that's raising a death flag. Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/proactive/ Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/

Thinking about the past is something we all do. After all, that is how we learn from our mistakes. But those who allow that to dominate their lives do so at a great cost. This is a hallmark example of what happens when you let your thoughts get the better of you. Can you really afford to stay stuck in the past? This episode is about just that and how you can finally move on. Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/rumination/ Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/

What's it like once you've been climbing towards your goals for awhile? We dive into the life of an entrepreneur who’s lived around the world and back. From the cushy tech life in San Francisco to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Wilson Lin has experienced what everyone dreams of. But what is it really like on the other side? Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/wilson/ Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/

Are you in control of your money or is your money in control of you? I realized each individual has very different thoughts and feelings when it came to money. And because of that, most people don’t realize that your EQ actually has a strong relationship with how you approach your personal finances. Find out how this is possible and how your mindset can really determine how rich you can become. Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/eqmoney/ Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/

What is the point of training at a company? Usually the bigger the company, the more of these you see. And most of the time, they’re useless and distract you from your work. How did it get this bad? Do effective leaders really come out of these programs? I dive into the research and show you what you can do if you truly want to develop yourself. Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/ Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/leadershipprograms/

Making decisions can be one of the most difficult things you do every day. You know that already but what about the decisions that you don’t make? What about the times when you stick to the status quo? Whether or not you’re aware of it, you’re still making a decision. Here’s the science and the real cost of that. Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/ Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/statusquo/

Did you know that people actually die from a weak EQ? Ok, maybe things aren’t that bad. But your emotional intelligence is tied to your habits and behaviors, which make a difference in your lifestyle choices. If you make ones that harm you, then you might not do so well in the long run. Let’s dive into the research that is arguing this and see what you can do today to avoid this pitfalls. Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/eqsaveslives/ Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/

You’ve been hearing about self awareness and how important it is to have. But this is easier said than done. Why is that? What exactly makes it so difficult for you to achieve a higher level of this amazing quality? We go over that and more so that you can deepen your understanding of this kind of emotional intelligence. Let's Talk: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/ Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/selfawarenessishard/

What are the secrets to motivation? This is a question that haunts everyone with a goal. While no one has all the answers, here are a few that many people overlook when they approach their goals. If you have found yourself struggling with finding motivation, you'll appreciate the different tips here. Contact: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/ Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/motivation/

Why are you the average of the people closest to you? I’m sure I’m not the only person that’s been curious about that. From my own childhood memories to research that study how the people around us affect us, I offer a glimpse into how we’re impacted by others and why. And most important, how you can use your emotional intelligence to balance out what we call social contagion. Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/ Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/socialcontagion/

If you were to give a speech to new college graduates, what would you say? That is exactly what went through my mind at my little brother’s graduation. Not surprisingly, what I would say is very different than what you hear at most universities. Here is what I would do. Shownotes - http://www.mikexhuang.com/askmike3/ Contact Me - http://www.mikexhuang.com/contact/

What does EQ have to do with poker? A lot actually. We invite professional poker player, commentator and team manager, Ricky Guan here to talk about a side of the game that you’ve never seen before. From his past had an impact to what he’s learned throughout his journey, you’ll definitely discover new perspectives you never had. Shownotes: http://www.mikexhuang.com/ratedgto/ Contact Me: http://www.mikexhuang.com/nextlevel/

“For nothing is ever good or evil...but thinking makes it so.” This quote by Shakespeare rings true for everything in life, including EQ. Even something as crucial and human as emotional intelligence is to success and happiness, it has a dark side. Since I’m all about the perspective, I dive into the side of EQ you don’t see as much. Beware the darkness. Shownotes - http://www.mikexhuang.com/eqdarkside/ Contact Me - http://www.mikexhuang.com/services/