Find the space between stimulus & response

Between stimulus and response, there is a space, and in that space lies our power & freedom.” While holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl apparently didn’t say or write this, there’s a reason why it keeps cropping up. The power we have to make a choice in that space between something happening and our reaction is both obvious and at times seemingly impossible. But think about it: who decides what you say and do? 

That’s not to say that exercising this choice is easy. It’s understandable that we react to certain things. We’re under the influence of every signal our brain has picked up through the years. It takes practice to even catch ourselves and notice an instinctive reaction coming along. Often, it seems to simply ‘happen’, no matter how much we’ve practiced. 

It’s worth the effort, though. I can be a bit rash, which is perhaps why I am so passionate about this fact, with all its responsibilities. I know that I can stop and choose my reactions. I know I have the freedom to take another path. Few things feel quite so empowering.