Rule No. 151 - It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

The other day I forgot to pull up my hand-brake up in the drive way and as I shut the door, it slowly starting heading straight towards the gate. Two completely flattened rose bushes later, thanks to my skew parking, and a big bump on the bumper it came to a holt. I just stood there and watched. And then I laughed. I mean, what else could I do? It was right in the middle of a three day exam run and my stress levels were sky high. I could have broken down and cried but how would that have helped anything?

Sometimes life throws some poop things at us. A lot of times, its not as little as a bump and a rose bush. As the rule says, it really is all about how we react to these circumstances. And unless you are a Buddhist monk there is no ways you are going to be able to keep your cool with every single thing that happens. 

Let's use a different example. Something less easy to laugh at. Say someone has hurt you and then turned it around to make you look bad. How would you react? Immediately, because not all of us are Buddhist Monks, one would want to punch them in the face, and then tell them exactly what one thought in as many words. But you would regret that, because it would prove nothing. 

Here's my advice. Take a moment to think and then use your words carefully and more importantly, act cautiously. Think about how you react, and how it will affect the situation. Sometimes, waiting for that initial feeling, be it anger, or in total contrast, elation for other situations, to subside is the best thing you can do to help you think clearly.