Reacting vs Responding

I took a philosophy course a few years ago and the best that came from it was a good friend/classmate and “The pause”.   The pause is all about putting a stop to the forward motion long enough to catch your breath and regroup or bring yourself to the here and now.   It was very helpful to me since I often find that I am in full throttle mode moving forward to no place and often stepping on ideas and people as I race on.

Intellectually, I know this is more than helpful, but I also know that I need a great deal of time alone so that I don’t get lost in conversation and put the concept into practice.

In the weeks before I left, I found the SNAP.  This is similar but since I am very early in my process of putting this in practice, it was helpful to have some guidance… so

Stop - 2 to 4 minutes every four hours

Notice observe where I am - feeling, thinking, and doing

Ask - what am I believing, are these beliefs true, how would my life change if I let go of this belief

Pivot - Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.”

So my effort for this week is to be aware of something arising – a sound, a word, a vision, a thought and holding it in my incubator rather than let it fly out as a reaction.  By running it by my SNAPer…my goal is to have the thought come out as a response.