The Power of Response
Dear Friends,
There are those moments in life when the unexpected happens::
A friend gives us uncomfortable feedback …
A project falters …
We hit unplanned traffic …
Something creates frustration, and we get to respond or react.
As Viktor Frankl reminds us:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.”
For most of us, our first responses is to resist, “This should not be happening. The traffic should not be here.” Or “this feedback should not be coming to me!”
We prefer that something else happen other than “what is happening,” and it is totally understandable.
However, rather than focus on the situation, we can inquire:
Is our suffering due to what is happening? Or is it largely in our resistance to what is happening?
Sadness, for example, is a very interesting quality to explore … yet when sadness arises, there is often a feeling of shame around it, “I should not be sad.” Thus we do not get to explore it.
When we can welcome and explore sadness, it often has enormous teachings for us.
Those of us parents know that some of the hardest situations are to witness our children suffer. We help them when we can, but we know that at least a certain amount of suffering is:
How our children learn RESILIENCE
How they learn COMPASSION
And how they learn LOVE.
So anytime disappointment comes our way, at one level it sucks, and at another level, we get to investigate something profound:
Where does our suffering and our happiness reside?
In Frankl’s language, we get to see where our true power lies.
May today give you ample opportunities to see clearly, to discover what truly matters, and to see the power of your response.
Blessings,
SOREN
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