It’s How We React

I was looking through materials I save to write my next post and I came across the following quote:

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

I do not know where I got it from, but it made a quick and strong impression on me.  I believe that this quote is so true.  The way we react determines so much. It affects our mood and the mood of others we interact with in both a negative or positive manner according to our reactions.

In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about stress and how the meaning we give to the things we see, hear, think, etc. affects us and others around us.

That is why I suggest that becoming highly aware of our reactions can be a powerful tool to help mitigate stress, anger, and any other negative emotion that ends up affecting our moods and ultimately our health.

The “spiritual” types suggest that we can make a huge difference in our life by “being present”. That means not letting our “egos” or our habitual self be the one who responds.  As creatures of habit, we develop meanings and tend to “automatically” assign these meanings to stimuli.  That is how, for example, we become insulted by someone’s comments.  Exploring meaning associated with your worst reactions can go a long way to help reduce the negative impact of our reactions on ourselves and others.

Powerful Questions

Keep an eye on yourself and others to explore the reasons why you or they react as they do.

• What does that mean to me (you)?
• Why did I (you) react that why?
• Why does (seeing, hearing, thinking about) something make you unhappy, upset, angry, worried, etc.?
• Is worth it?
• What will or will not happen if, or if not…?

Meaning clarification can be a powerful tool to make life more pleasant, enjoyable, and successful for ourselves and others.

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO