How do you react when someone does something you don’t like? Do you get angry, yell, cower, run away?
The only innate reactions we need are jumping at the sound of a loud noise or flinging a leg into the air when our knee gets struck by the doctor’s hammer!
And if you’re one of those people who says ‘I can’t help myself’ or ‘I’ve always done it this way’, then follow closely!
The yelling or running you do is just a learned behavior you default to without thinking. Lack of conscious evaluation is the common denominator in 95% of our reactions.
Instead of brainlessly reverting to a knee-jerk reaction when something happens, learn to RESPOND to the events in your life.
By responding, you consciously review the parts of an event, looking at it in the present moment with clear eyes. You are then able to proactively create perhaps several ways to respond and can choose one or more alternatives, thoughtfully and with integrity.
Action – Think of a recent negative event that you might have preferred to handle differently.
What old habitual reaction showed up? If you were to have consciously responded to the situation instead, what would you have done?
Plan a goal for removing that old way of reacting and begin to respond to your life.
(What was your most recent ‘reaction’? Please share using the comments box.)