Reactions

"You may not be able to control the situation, but you can always control your reaction."
Austin Mcgonigle

It is true that we often have no control over what happens to us. For example, we can't control whether there is going to be a traffic jam on the way to work this morning. We can't control whether someone else has an accident and ties up the traffic for hours. We can't control whether there is going to be an earthquake that damages the road we want to take to get to work. These situations just sometimes happen to us. We all know the frustration of sitting in a traffic jam. But we can control how we react to the situation.

It is always possible to see any situation in another way. You actually can choose how you feel. In this example, you could notice that you sometimes get stuck in traffic jams and prepare for it. Bring along a inspirational or educational tape to listen to. Invent a fun game to play by yourself. Then you can actually enjoy the wait because you were able to learn something new or do something fun while you were waiting.

Susan Jeffers, in her book "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway", gives some more examples of chosing a better reaction.
1) If your visit to sunny California finds every day filled with torrents of rain, you can lament your bad luck OR you can find ways to make it a great vacation anyway.
2) If you planned to do something with your friend and she opts out at the last minute, you can be angry about it OR you can understand that she had her reasons and either find someone else to go with or go alone and have a great time.
3) If you got sick and had to miss a very important business meeting, you could worry that this is the end of your whole career OR you could realize that you have limitless ways of creating a successful career for yourself.
4) If your husband is an alcoholic, you could spend your whole life trying to scold him or change him OR you could attend Al-Anon meetings and learn to change yourself.

Those are just some examples. In any situation, you can always have a choice about how you are going to react to it. Choose the positive, empowering choice every time.

For ideas about how to be successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com