Mindfulness

As the cliche goes, into everyone's life a little rain must fall. Trite as it may be, we repeat the saying for its truth.

The question, however, is what we choose to do when the rain starts to fall. In my estimation, attempting to control your reaction is exceptionally difficult. However, recognizing your reaction for what it is - an emotional response to your situation - gives you the opportunity to take a step back and breathe.

Once you've taken that step back, you have the opportunity to accept your reaction with compassion for yourself while also recognizing that you are not your reaction. You do not have to be limited by your first emotional response to a situation.

I'm not advocating that you abandon emotion. What I am advocating is that you don't allow a knee-jerk reaction to make your decisions for you. With mindfulness comes power.