Take ownership of the two-second response gap

It is effortless to point to externalities for our shortcomings.

It is easy to blame others for the outcome you are responsible for. But, from the depths of it, you KNOW that you are the reason. Your shouting at kids is due to your lack of anger management. Your scores are the direct outcomes of your preparation. The school might make the questions difficult, kids could be a handful, the traffic might be more than usual, and whatnot. You cannot disregard your actions as an outcome of external circumstances. Your behavior is ENTIRELY up to you. Your actions are ENTIRELY up to you. Your results are ENTIRELY up to you. So, your LIFE is ENTIRELY up to you. You and ONLY YOU decide the path you take in life, to lead this precious opportunity as well as possible.

There's a Stoic saying:

"Everything as TWO handles: The one Soft and Manageable, the other such as will not endured to be touched"- Epictetus.

The situations always provide you with a few possible responses that fall under one of these two categories. Soft handle and a hard handle- Which one you pick to deal with that situation is ENTIRELY up to you. When I say 'entirely up to you', I am talking about your reactions to the things you cannot control and the responsibilities you take up on the things you control. There's a 1-2 second gap between a stimulus and a response, and how thoroughly you use this gap to choose the right handle determines the soundness of your mind and life.

If you take ownership of this gap, you are taking ownership of your life. When I talk about choosing the right handle, it's more about using rationality and a general sense of social and self-well-being in choosing the response and action, rather than an act of immediate emotional gratification.

Choose wisely,

Live well!

- Sru🔥