When was the last time you let something negatively affect your feelings that really had no significance to you at all in that moment?
Was in ten minutes ago hearing the dog next door barking outside?
Was it yesterday listening to someone blast the music in the car next to you at a traffic light?
Take a few minutes to think about how you view your everyday experiences and how you typically react to them.
This quote by Wayne Dyer is definitely one to think about the next time you are reacting negatively to a situation that may not be as bad as you originally perceived it to be. A simple shift in your mindset can change your reaction from a negative to a more positive state.
I was in the gym the other morning, walking on one of the treadmills next to an older woman who I regularly see there. We would typically chat, mostly about random things, but it was this conversation, in particular, I found very interesting.
I want to give you a quick bit of information before I share the conversation dialog. I live in the Northeast and, as I’m writing this, it’s the middle of winter.
Now, if there is one thing people who, live here or have visited, know is that it’s cold and snow is common this time of year. It is nothing new. It’s nothing surprising. It happens.
Ok, back to the story. As we are watching the weather report on one of the TVs above us, she says, “Ugh, we are getting snow this weekend… four to five inches? That’s horrible.”
I said, “Yup, looks like it. Why? Did you have plans to go somewhere?”
Her response was “No.”
I replied by saying, “That’s great. Then it really should have no adverse effect on you. Why are you so bothered by it?”
Needless to say, she wasn’t very happy with my response. She actually became a little annoyed.
You see, although we both experienced the same situation, our perception, our reaction, led us to different states of emotion. What most people forget to realize, however, is that we all have the ability to choose how we react to those situations.
Whether or not you are able to control the situation, your reaction is what leads you to the corresponding emotion state.
That emotion state can leave you feeling happy or miserable.
Do you have a family member or friend that no matter what happens, they get frustrated or annoyed? Their perception leads them to their emotion.
Next time you are with your friends or family, make a conscious effort to notice how each person reacts to the situation around them. Also, notice how you are reacting as well.
Like Wayne Dyer’s quote illustrates, once you are able to change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
Now it’s your turn.
How does this quote inspire you?
Tell me about an experience where your perception of a situation negatively affected you in such a way that after looking back on it you realized how silly your reaction was to begin with.
Contact me or share your thoughts below in the Comments section.
Let’s get the discussion going.
Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Together we can become stronger individuals.
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