Do you ever wish you could turn back time?

That’s silly. Of course you do. At least if you were Cher, I bet you would be thinking pretty seriously about this topic! However, I’m fairly certain that each of us has had at least one moment where we wish we could turn back the clock and do something differently. (Come on, you know you’re not perfect – you’ve had WAY more than one, right?!) While I am not someone who chooses to live with regret over the way things turn out, I think we can all think of a time when we would have preferred that we had reacted better or done something differently.

Yet if that were possible, surely we would be different people than we are today. The events in our lives build and shape us. Good or bad, these experiences turn us into the human beings we are and were meant to be. Luckily, through the beauty of neuroplasticity of the brain, we have the ability to learn and grow, and we can enhance our Emotional Intelligence. When we begin to discover more about it, we can build new habits and make better choices.

This is blog about moments. Moments we notice. Moments where we make different choices. Moments that can change our lives.

While we cannot look back and do things differently, with Self-Awareness there are some things we can control going forward: our actions and reactions to what happens to us. While in some cases we may not be able to reshape the final outcome into what we would like to have happen, we can at least have it be the best possible circumstances around that scenario because we managed ourselves better in the moment.

Simply remember that the key to making better choices and preserving relationships is this – It’s in the Pause.®

_{Valerie M. Sargent is a dynamic speaker, trainer, consultant and executive coach. A natural and engaging motivator, Valerie is a Level I and Level II TalentSmart Emotional Intelligence Certified Trainer and President of Yvette Poole & Associates. She helps individuals and organizations increase their EQ, managing emotions and relationships better on the job for maximum performance. Her signature message, “It’s in the Pause”® focuses on the need for Self-Management skills to preserve positive relationships in the workplace and beyond – follow her blog: https://itsinthepause.com/). For more information: http://ypooleandassoc.com/  or http://valeriemsargent.com/.}