How do YOU respond?
Learning to respond rather than react can provide us with many benefits, especially peace of mind. I share three thoughts for you to ponder.
Thought #1
Somtimes the water gets murky and the mud that is churned up happens in a way that is heated. We might express anger or others may express agression. But there is really nothing more important than our own peace of mind. How we are feeling and what we are thinking throughout the day really matters and determines what energy is flowing.
Thought #2
And sometimes we don’t need to say anything. Our being quiet on the matter gets us quickly to the end of that topic. We can then change the subject to something better to discuss. Having an opinion isn’t always needed. Even if we have an opinion, we still don’t need to share it. It can take all the steam out of whoever might have wanted to start a confrontation.
Thought #3
Here are four simple words and they are easy to say: “You might be right.”
And it might well accomplish a few things, such as…
- Admitting that they really might be right. You do make mistakes. Maybe you did something wrong. It doesn’t mean they were wrong.
- It may end the conversation.
- And then you don’t have to carry it around all day. It’s over. You are done. They might be right. Maybe not, but you didn’t say “You are right.” You said “You might be right.”
We can realize that there is no one worth the disturbance to our peace of mind. After all, we are not trying to change, reform, improve or fix them. And we are not trying to prove them wrong.
What have YOU learned about how to (or even how not to!) respond rather than react?
1 Comment
Snoopy said: “Whenever something is bothering you, go lie under a tree all day.” I like that.