Reacting vs Responding

From my earliest days growing up I was told that performing tasks quickly and accurately will benefit me during my educational training at college, while implementing my many business objectives during my career, overcoming my daily challenges and obstacles, assisting me in my climb to success, and allowing prosperity in athletic competitions. What they didn't tell me was that sometimes that quick response may lead me to unhealthy decisions that could affect many aspects of my life in the seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years ahead.

We communicate with others at the speed of light. Conversation start, move quickly through many discussions, each having a degree of impact on who we are. Slow means being left behind or unable to keep up. The power of listening is lost. Allowing ourselves to be breatheless is the norm. Full steam ahead! We formulate our response before another person finishes their sentences. Judging ourselves and others after hearing a single word spoken. Readying ourselves to anticipate the next move or comment swiftly. We pattern ourselves to have all the answers and potenially harmful solutions at the tip of our tongues during our interactions. Standing helpless wondering why life is so complicated and living with the intent to be right all the time with a high degree of perfection in all that we do. Why has being right and knowing any given situation going on become so important in our daily lives? Ahh, our minds feed on us being ahead of others - smarter and more able - to be out in front while leaving everyone behind. Our minds place less importance on our spirtual quality of our lives - more time in the quest to create a hopeless & helpless existence to drive ourselves crazy in success.

What ever happened to slowing down and evaluating how we would like to handle a given situation? How can I respond to given challenges in my daily life that will promote healthy living? The anwser is as easy as breathing - but my mind will tell me that it can not be that easy!

I have now come to realize that NOT making decisions quickly is the starting point to healthier living! Modifing my response by providing myself some time to determine how I might like to proceed has provided me many new opportunities. I now can ask for help from others, appeal to their experiences, sleep on those ideas, and finally formulate the given response that takes into account many aspects of our complicated lives. I find myself not having to apologize for my behaviors as often - being able to make amends when I am wrong and not undergoing a deep sense of guilt or embarassment over statements that I have made or actions that I have taken.

Realizing that I have never really signed up to make myself crazy throughout my life - my ego NOW has taken a back seat - although it still wants to make my life a living hell often - to a more spiritual life of being in the moment. Living in the NOW - experiencing life as an observer without the desire to be right or wrong. Feeling others situations and choosing carefully how I may want to interact or not. Allowing others the space to go in the direction they may need without harming myself in the process and taking others prisoners during my day.

We are gifted at birth with all the spiritual "Wisdom of the Universe".

"All human beings are born with all the wisdom of the universe imprinted on their soul. It is inthe DNA of everything. Indeed, "DNA" could very well be used as an acronym for DivineNatural Awareness. Every living thing has this natural awareness built in. It is part of the system. It is part of the process that you call Life. This is why, when people are confronted with great wisdom, it often sounds so familiar to them. They agree with it almost at once. There is no argument.There is only a remembering. It is part of their Divine Natural Awareness. It is said to be "in their DNA." It feels like, "Ah, yes, of course."

Home with God, Neale Donald Walsch, Page 5

The answers are within us. Trust less our thinking and more on the beacon of insight that has been set aside way to often. Reconnect to the source of energy that will steer us to peace. Allow ourselves the time to ask what is right inside us throughout our day and gratefully accept the many responses that we are privledged to experience in our journeys with others. STOP... BREATHE... BREATHE... BREATHE - RESPOND carefully - feel the peace within us come to the surface!