Published in · 4 min read · Jun 5, 2015
--
Today marks the first anniversary of Maya Angelou’s death, but her influence remains, with potent advice for writing, living, and enhancing your emotional intelligence.
I was midway through college before I encountered a life changing book with a funny name. I was familiar with the title book I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but nothing of its contents. The book is a powerful autobiography of Maya Angelou’s struggle to find freedom, reflecting a healthy self-esteem under extreme trauma. I studied the book intensely, devouring each word. It was more than an autobiography. It was poetry. Though she has passed, you can apply her knowledge to increase your emotional intelligence (EQ). Recent studies state that EQ more important in the workplace than IQ. It is the capacity to reflect on and handle your emotions and empathize with those of others. Angelou chose every word precisely, and I loved both the eloquent words and the message. I connected with the burdens of my cultural ancestry, and I empathized with the descendants of slaves for the first time. Angelou was inspired by a moving Paul Laurence Dunbar poem about slavery and freedom. Dunbar died in 1906, a product of the Restoration Period in the South, enduring much abuse and racism. In Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy,” he compares living as a Black man to the plight of a bird caught in a cage:
Sympathy By Paul Laurence Dunbar I know what the caged bird feels, alas! When the sun is bright on the upland slopes; When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, And the river flows like a stream of glass; When the first bird sings and the first bud opes, And the faint perfume from its chalice steals — I know what the caged bird feels! I know why the caged bird beats his wing Till its blood is red on the cruel bars; For he must fly back to his perch and cling When he fain would be on the bough a-swing; And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars And they pulse again with a keener sting — I know why he beats his wing! I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, — When he beats his bars and he would be free; It is not a carol of joy or glee, But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings — I know why the caged bird sings!
Most assume that caged birds sing when they are happy. However, the bird sings to console herself in her suffering, not to express joy. She sings her longing to be free to fly, and “upward to heaven he flings” a prayer for salvation from the cage. Angelou picked up the poem as inspiration for her candid writing about race and self. She connected intimately with the idea of Dunbar and his beautiful poem.
Maya Angelou lived through unbearable circ*mstances too, but she overcame obstacles to create a meaningful existence, taking care of herself, and teaching others.
The power of Maya Angelou’s writing is not her ability to endure suffering, but to transcend it. She moves beyond the pain to suture her wounds and then teaches others how to do the same.
Apply these quotes to work, life, and writing, and you will find exponential, positive results:
- Courage: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
- Change: “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” — Letter to My Daughter
- Success: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
- Accomplishment: “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”
- Survival: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
- Knowledge: “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
- Self Esteem: “Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
- Independence: “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
- Optimism: “No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.”
- Confidence: “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!”
- Purpose: “My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.”
Take a moment to enjoy the video of Maya Angelou’s persuasive and empathic poem from President Bill Clinton’s inauguration on January 20, 1993:
I miss Maya Angelou and her wisdom. But her words remain to guide us in changing the world.
Why is emotional intelligence essential in leadership? Do you have any ideas about how to practice these skills as part of you daily life? Share them in the comments below.
