When you reply to the people and events in our lives, are you reacting or responding. A reaction is an automated reply, like a knee-jerk reflex, usually without any thought. It can also be a habit of speech, triggered by a stimulus. But if you respond, there is thought involved, and at least a second of two of time that allows a more present, more useful reply. 

In an emergency, there is no time to think - you have to react instinctively. In non-emergencies, you have the opportunity to consider the situation, assess your options, and choose the best way to respond to the person or situation. If you react out of habit, ask yourself if this is the habit you still want to project, or, if not, then go about changing your habits of thought, speech and action. By becoming consciously aware of how you reply - reaction or response - you can gain control of yourself and your response.