If you have ever been to the doctor and had a prescription medication that required you to revisit the doctor, the you will understand the difference between responding and reacting. We have read about the power of words we use and how we control our thoughts. In life do you respond or react. When you take a medication and do the follow up appointment with a physician if the doctor says your body is responding that is a positive and have begun healing. If the doctor says, you are reacting to the medication that means you are having a negative result.
In life we have a choice, as has been stated by so many, everything is a choice. Even the items that are not your choice in life require you to make a choice of how you will respond or react to the situation. If you go through life responding to the influences and pressures around you then you will have life dictated to you. Your choice is to place blame and give up control of your future. This is the path of least resistance that many find themselves on and since they do not take ownership for their actions, it feels hopeless. Depression and anxiety come from reacting to life. When we allow our situation to dictate our feelings and happiness we have chosen to react to life.
Responding to life is not easy. I think this is why so many of us struggle with responding versus reacting. You can also respond in some areas of life and react in others. This makes life even more challenging because if you see you are reacting to situations you may begin to give up hope in other areas of life as well. There are so many influences in life designed to make us grow. Our whole purpose in this mortal life is to be tested. If we do not understand this and then just react to life we shall fail indeed.
There is hope and it is as simple as making the commitment to ourselves to respond to life and not let life control our feelings. Challenge your mind when you begin to worry or find that you are fearful. I like to talk with my children when they have a fear or insecurity. It is easy for me having already lived through the challenges they are facing to see the solution. Still with all my knowledge, it is their choice how they will respond. I have started talking with myself as I would give advice to my children. It helps me overcome silly obstacles and fears that I build up in my mind and never materialize.
Don’t make a mountain our of a mole hill. Things are never as bad as they seem and never as good either. If we can learn to stay calm and remove emotion from making rush decisions life becomes more manageable. Chose to respond to a situation even when you do not feel like responding. We are surrounded by those that would love nothing more than to insure we are miserable like unto them. Be the light unto the world that helps others come out of the darkness. When we see the world around us crumbling, respond by being part of the unshakable foundation that others can rely on. Chose this day to be happen in the now. Do not wait for circumstances to decide you fate and happiness. Chose to be happy and make you destiny a reality. Remember it will not happen as you plan because we will be tested to see if we have the faith and true desire to respond to life versus react.