Life sucks.

And all you want is to make it convenient and fun and interesting and positive.

That’s why when something bad — maybe not bad, just something you hate — happens, you react.

Here are some examples:

• You badmouth your neighbors for their lavish lifestyle.
• You complain because the coffee shop’s Internet connection is too slow.
• You berate a salesman for not helping you find the product you need.
• You condemn a company for not giving you the best service.
• You speak ill of your friends who refuse to lend you money.
• You criticize someone on Facebook for posting something against your perspective. (And now you’re going to criticize this blog post, too.)
• You blame the government for the traffic, unemployment, crimes, social crisis, and everything that makes your life miserable.

I can go on forever.

We are a society that keeps reacting to things we don’t have control over.

We want our opinions to be the right ones. We want others to understand us. We take things personally. All the time.

I know it’s easier said than done. But if we always react to things we don’t have control over, what kind of life do we expect?

Annie Dillard said,

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”

The next time, you’re about to react, pause and hold your breath — and hold it (hold it forever). 😉

Rather than spewing negativity, ask yourself:

“What can I do to make things a little bit better?”

We may not have the capacity to completely change things, but this simple mental shift can propel us into finding solutions and staying composed.

This is my daily reminder: Respond, not react.