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The
Story of Onionhead™
"In 1989, my family lived on the east coast. My mom, a single mother
for most of my life, went to a workshop and acquired a read-out of 1500
emotions. She wrote each emotion on the back of her business cards and
created the first deck of feeling cards. She would use this deck every
time an emotional crisis would occur. We were all inspired by her success
with these cards and were not surprised when she announced that she wanted
to become a counselor in order to help others.
"Over a period of years, she meticulously documented the emotions
that most frequently surfaced in her clients. In 1994, as I was moving to
California, she finished scaling the deck down to 72 emotions. She gave me
her tattered business card set and asked that I illustrate each emotion.
Having been raised in an emotionally healthy household where it was
acceptable to express all feelings, I was able to summon each emotion
within myself. I would then look in the mirror and draw what I saw.
We Chose an
Onion
"We chose an Onion in order to represent the process of peeling,
feeling, crying and healing. When I finished the illustrations, we both
knew we had created something that needed to be shared with the world.
This little Onion needed to go and teach emotional intelligence to people
everywhere. Shortly afterwards, my mom moved to California. The next year
coincidently, we both found the men of our dreams and got married. Within
a month of that, my grandparents joined us and now we are three
generations living on the same property. We get along famously and have
learned that when you have emotional skills, you become better people
thereby becoming better parents, partners, family members, counselors,
teachers and friends. Our hope is that Onionhead™ will enhance your life
the way he has continuously enhanced ours."
Kelly, the Illustrator
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What
is Emotional Intelligence?
Perhaps one of the most fundamental teachings missing today is emotional
education. Yet it is the most necessary. It is now more obvious than ever
that people of all ages need assistance to better communicate their
feelings and that better communication promotes more productive living.
Emotional
Intelligence is:
1. Name It: A large percentage of our frustration stems from an
inability to identify what it is we feel. Naming our feelings is the first
step. It is a way of giving ourselves permission to have that emotion.
2. Claim It: Once we have the ability to name our feelings, we then
have to communicate them in a way that others can hear us. We must learn
to express ourselves beginning our discussions with "I feel"
rather than " You are." Once we own our feelings, we then have
the skills to transmute them.
3. Tame It: Some of us shy away from conflict because we see it as
threatening. Some of us jump right in to conflict because it was all we
were taught. Responding to a situation rather than reacting to it, means
we are calm and looking immediately for the solution to the problem.
4. Aim It: We must approach living from a sense of wellness rather
than a sense of wound. Learning the first three points awards us the gifts
of empathy and understanding thereby eliminating the act of blaming and
shaming. When we aim to communicate constructively, resolve conflict
peacefully, we feel more empowered and lead more successful lives.
Onionhead ™ holds the key. He is the most effective tool for
transforming the emotional climate of any classroom, household or office.
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