The Power of Choosing Your Reaction to Challenges
Oct 27, 2023
Challenging circumstances are not only a part of life but a necessary part.
It can seem hard to believe, but I have learned that we want the challenges to allow us to become more.
A muscle can’t grow or become stronger if we don’t apply stress to it. In fact, it will shrink and weaken if we don’t use it.
It is the same for us.
You may be familiar with the supplication:
“Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
In other words, “help me react in a helpful way to challenging circumstances.”
Reactions are not only a part of life, but they are also how life works.
Life is essentially a chain reaction. One event causes another event, which causes another, which causes another…. you get the idea!
We can either let this chain reaction occur through default (unconsciously), or we can choose how we are going to react in this chain reaction and potentially shift its projection in the direction we prefer.
If you stop and reflect on the past few months, ask yourself what your common reaction has been to challenging circumstances.
How do you feel?
What do you think?
What do you say?
Who do you say it to?
How do you say it?
What do you do?
What DON’T you do?
This might feel quite confronting, and you may think you can’t do anything about it.
I want to reassure you that you can.
It is possible to learn how to become aware of your habitual reactive patterns to certain triggers and to change the way you respond to them.
It starts with understanding what you believe that causes the reaction. If it is a limiting belief, it will cause a negative reaction, and if it is an empowering belief, it will cause a positive response.
Without doing this work on us, we leave this to our programming, which is based on our history.
Nothing is wrong with repeating the history you enjoyed, but what about the parts you didn’t like?
A belief is just a thought you keep thinking. It has no power over you, and you have the power to change the thought.
It takes discipline and the desire to change.
I promise you it’s worth it!
Robbo on behalf of Tracy
