Much of our lives is spent in reaction to others and to the events around us. The problem is that these reactions might not always be the best course of action, and as a result, they can make others unhappy, make things worse for us, ultimately make the whole situation worse.
When we react without thinking. It’s a gut reaction, often based on fear and insecurities, and it’s not the most rational or appropriate way to act. Responding, on the other hand, is taking the situation in, and deciding the best course of action based on values such as reality, reason, compassion, cooperation, understanding, etc.
Why would we want to make things worse?
If another person has made a mistake, make a game of it, show the other person that mistakes happen and that it’s not something to fight on. Then, calmly talk about how to avoid mistakes like that in the future, and give a smile.
This choice presents itself to us all the time, whether it’s our mother nagging us, our co-worker being rude, our husband not being kind enough, and so on. There will always be external events that bother us, but if we learn to respond and not just react, we can make things better and not worse. We will continue discussing this in our next episode. Stay Tuned. Thanks for listening.