The space between your life experiences and your reactions to them contains a strong force which people tend to overlook. The present situation determines your emotional state, decision-making process, and complete experience of life. Your response to events which you cannot control determines their actual impact on your life because you hold the power to create meaning from those events.
What Happens and How You React
The world contains a fundamental concept which can transform people’s lives because it exists between the events that affect them and their subsequent actions. The power to choose how you respond to situations exists in that space, which enables you to determine the course of your life.
Events Are Neutral
The surrounding events in your environment function as mere occurrences. The events lack any inherent significance which exists beyond your personal understanding of them. The process of understanding starts when you begin to interpret the situation.
Your Reaction Is Always a Choice
You always have the ability to choose your response according to any situation.Your control over situations exists in that brief moment which occurs between an event and your reaction to it.
The Actual Reason Is Here
Two people can witness the exact same event but create completely different perspectives based on their experiences. The reason for this phenomenon exists because people create their own personal meanings instead of sharing them with everyone.
Your Past Shapes Your Present Reactions
Your past experiences, memories and your beliefs including your emotions all combine to create your current response to any situation. Your life story quietly shapes how you interpret everything.
The Meaning Filter You Don’t Notice
Your brain automatically establishes meaning through its evaluation of previously learned things. The invisible filter system enables you to view situations either through its empowering power or through its restricting power.
The Danger of Automatic Reactions
The way I see it, your immediate reaction to every situation contains your unconscious mind. The way you operate at work makes your workplace unsafe, which leads to situations that result in stress and conflicts and feelings of remorse.
Awareness Expands That Space
The more aware you are, the bigger that “space” becomes. You make your response choice through a process that involves thinking after you take a pause instead of reacting immediately.
Reframing Changes Everything
When you modify the meaning which you give to an event, your emotional response to that event will change. The same situation can feel negative or empowering depending on your perspective.
The Real Power You Always Have
You may not control what happens to you but you always control what it means to you. Your choice of the present moment will decide your future because it shows how you want to live your life.
