Choose Your Reaction!

Lighten Up

Ever feel yourself getting perturbed by something that happens during your day? Ever have the urge to say something about it, when silence might be the best approach? Perhaps you feel the need to make a judgment about each situation that arises.

Maybe it’s time to slow down a bit.  We can control only one thing – our own actions. If there is something to be judged, it would be our reaction to things that happen, not the events themselves.

In Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit #5 says, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In explaining, Covey states, “People do not see the world as it is; they see it as they are – or as they have been conditioned to be.” In other words, understanding removes judgement.

Once you take the time to understand each situation, there is no longer a need to judge. Interestingly, when others realize that you no longer make those judgments, you may find that they no longer judge you either.

The command to “lighten up” may be best used on ourselves instead of others.  This way, it’s easy to walk away from those reacting badly or judging others’ feelings about a situation. When we lighten up on ourselves, it may help someone else to lighten up–maybe even creating a trend!