October 14, 2016

"Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it." - Lou Holtz

For those of you who don't know, Lou Holtz was a US football coach. He was known to be able to inspire players to incredible heights.

But isn't that true though? Most of the stuff we go through isn't what happens but how we reacted?

Reminds me of a comedian I heard once of people who do not evacuate during hurricanes. They say the wind is only 80 miles per hour. This guys says, "It isn't THAT the wind is blowing 80 miles per hour, it is WHAT the wind is blowing 80 miles per hour!"

So it isn't THAT something "bad" happened, it is HOW we react that really affects not only us but the people around us. 

That is one of my challenges. Actually I think that right now it is the largest obstacle I need to overcome. I all too often let the circumstance dictate my mood. I am great in the morning when my energy is highest but as the day progresses into evening my energy and focus decreases and I tend to re-act instead of act.

So! I am working on training myself to be more deliberate in my actions all of the time but especially when my energy decreases and I am more tired and hungry.

Last night my up line and the rest of the team were 30 minutes late for training and then they ate their supper so we didn’t even get started until almost 60 minutes late. I let that get to me. I was snappy to people. I was not a good person. I was not in a “good mood”!

I reacted. I should have just acted. Instead of being an ass I ought to have just moved on with what I needed to do (present) and let everything else slide. I couldn’t have changed the circumstances if I had tried.

As Jim Rohn says, “The same wind blows on us all. The difference in destination is not the wind but the set of the sail.”

So here I am, very tired from the late night and early morning. My conscious brain is hard at work making sure or at least trying to make sure my reactions are not reactions but action. Thoughtful, deliberate actions about what happens to me today.

Happy Friday!