What’s the difference between reacting and responding. Which one do you do most often? Do those words sound like they mean the same? Well….think again.
Lets talk about it!
The Difference between reacting and responding is….
When somebody makes you angry, do you react, or do you respond? When something doesn’t go your way, do you react, or do you respond? When you feel like slacking off, do you react, or do you respond?
Reaction is in the moment. It can be impulsive, without forethought. One of the things I do not like about reacting is its under somebody or something Else’s control. For example, an empty cup. It has no resistance to any force, so if you hit it, it will fall over. Don’t be an empty cup!
How do you move from reacting to responding?
Responding is something that is more internal, deliberate and intentional. So when somebody makes you angry, you do not really want to react, say things you may or may not regret later, and so on. Wouldn’t it be good to respond, calmly, with a more thought out reply? If you are slacking off one day, you can respond by giving yourself different messages instead of just going with the slack flow.
Practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness, put simply, is being aware of what you are feeling in every moment, staying in touch with your thoughts and emotions. You have the ability to put your focus on anything you want, right now. There is tuns of stimuli both in and around you in every moment, and you get to decide witch stimuli gets your atention.
Mindful exercise
Just as an exercise, focus on one stimuli at a time. Focus on how your shirt feels on your body, then shift your attention to how your shoes feel on your feet. You can then shift to any noise that you may here around you. Notice how you can choose to shift what stimuli you are paying attention to while shutting off your awareness of other sources.
Through the practice of mindfulness, we can keep track of how we are feeling. We can keep track of all the energy moving in and around us. This way, we are able to interrupt any impulsive or negative feelings from taking control. If you are angry, while anger is a natural feeling, if you are mindful/aware in that moment, taking a second to breath, you are better able to respond in a constructive productive way.
When you master mindfulness, and the art of responding, you are better able to handle some ups and downs, witch will result in more self-confidence, core self-confidence.
If you want to develop the core self confidence to take charge of your life, attract the relationships you want, and gain clarity in life, Check out the Authentic Man Program (AMP)! Approach life from a place of intentional action rather than passive submission!