Our ability to choose is a gift, but it is also a huge responsibility
Published by lesleeunruh March 20th, 2009 in Leadership Nuggets from the PresidentNo matter what today’s “it’s not my fault” culture encourages, we are all ultimately responsible for our own choices. In fact, I like to write the word responsibility as response - ability. As humans, we have the unique ability to respond. It is a choice we make, although many times and instantaneous or subconscious choice.
When you react, you make a purely emotional and subconscious decision. Often, because of how your experiences and prior choices have programmed your subconscious mind, your reactions do not help you achieve the best results.
On the other hand, when you respond to a situation, you make a constructive and conscious decision. That’s why there are Emergency Response Teams and not Emergency Reaction Teams. We all experience plenty of negative situations and people. The key is to be prepared to consciously respond to these negative inputs. Choosing to respond, instead of react, helps us to positively orchestrate our attitudes and our lives.
- Lee J. Colan, Ochestrating Attitude