A school for life where emotional intelligence can be developed

“The street is the university of life,” it is often said. The message behind it is that between textbooks you do not learn to live, and that these do not teach the necessary skills to function in the day to day, to relate, to face the good and bad times, the present and the future… There is a need to educate in all those aspects that are not taught in school, or in high school or at university. And that’s exactly what The School of Life proposes: going back to develop emotional intelligence, and beyond.

This initiative is based in London but operates worldwide. They produce videos on topics such as relationships, friendships, at work or with family; typical problems to face, etc., with titles such as “Why are we addicted?”, “The problem of perfectionism”, “How to be a good listener/interlocutor”, “How to avoid ranting” and other more general ones on aspects of philosophy or politics.

They also share articles and content several times a week, as well as books (many of them distributed free and open). Moreover, they organize classes and events in various cities around the world, and offer brand consulting services and learning and development workshops for companies. This is part of their commercial activity along with their store, where they sell products “to help in the search for a fuller life.”

The School of Life, as it defines itself, “is a place to step back and think intelligently about the central emotional concerns in our lives.” His methodology discards dogmas and advocates directing people towards ideas that exercise, stimulate and expand the boundaries of their minds. It also promotes “meeting other curious, sociable and open-minded people in an atmosphere of exploration and enjoyment” on its digital channels and at its branches and events.

Video: The School of Life

The Book of Life

The School of Life blog: The Book of Life deserves special attention. “It’s called that,” they explain, “because it deals with the most important things in your life: your relationships, your income, your career, your anxieties… There has always been a longing to bring the important things together in one place. Part of the appeal of the Bible or the collected works of a renowned author is the sense that in the midst of all the chaos and disparate sources of knowledge, someone has gone to the trouble of distilling, compressing, and telling the essentials.”

This blog aims to bring together the most useful ideas in the area of emotional life. “The danger of disorder is something we have thought about a lot. In an age where it is no longer difficult to get a large amount of information, the challenge becomes how to organize it so that it can be found and used when needed.” For this reason, the book (blog) is structured according to everyday situations where these ideas have use and are necessary. It is divided into chapters and uses an extensive indexing of pieces to address topics from different starting points “from a reassuring and healthy voice”.

It is multimedia content written by many people over a long time, which continues to change and evolve. And it’s accessible for free.