It is said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond

2 min read

 

It is said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond. 

 

You can’t always control what happens in life, but you can always control how you respond to what happens. And your ability to choose your response is what gives you your true power. 

 

There is a really big difference between responding and reacting. 

 

Say someone pushes in front of you in a line. Reacting to this would be to yell at them or push in front of them yourself. Responding in this situation would be to take a breath and calmly ask them if they realised you were waiting in the line. 

 

Reaction is basically an impulsive, emotional action. Responding is a more mindful, thoughtful action. 

 

Generally speaking, responding rather than reacting leads to better outcomes, both in terms of how you feel about yourself and what you do. 

 

Often all it takes is one breath to create the space to choose a response rather than react. This space gives you the power and freedom to choose a response that’s going to be constructive and actually move you forwards - a response that lines up with the sort of person you want to be. 

 

Whatever may be triggering emotional reactions for you right now, know that you have the power to choose your response. That's a key part of doing what's right for you, particularly when the pressure is on, or things go wrong.