In my observation of how people respond to situations, there are two mistakes I’ve noticed.
The first is responding one-dimensionally to situations.
Let me explain…
There are two ways to respond to a situation.
You can give an emotional response and/or a logical response.
But some people just have one response, the emotional response.
And that’s understandable. The way humans evolved, emotional responses can be a lifesaver.
You encounter danger, you get an adrenaline flow, and you either fight or escape the danger.
But 90% of the situations you face in the modern world are neither urgent nor life-threatening. So you can respond emotionally.
You can respond emotionally, but it can’t be your only response. There needs to be a logical response too.
But for most people, there was no logical follow-up.
The Naira crashed, okay. So what about it? Does it affect me? How much does it affect me? What can I do about it?
So the thing is, this logical follow-up thing is not easy. It takes energy to think through and answer the questions. But it’s important.
Because your emotions are a means to an end. There are not the end in themselves.
So you didn’t feel good about something. How can you make sure you don’t feel that way again?
The second mistake is when people mistake their emotional response for their identity. You are not your emotions, and when your emotional response to a situation is not serving you, you can change it.
For emphasis: You are not your emotions. You can change your emotional response to a situation when it’s not serving you.
Also, your emotional response to a situation can be wrong. How do you make sure you respond differently in the future?
By analyzing why you responded the way you did and deciding to respond to that situation differently in the future.
For example, if you always respond in anger to a person or situation, and it does more harm than good, you can change that response.
How?
Think through and understand what causes the anger. And for the future, how can you maintain your cool in that situation or towards that person?
You can decide on a different response. You are not a slave to your emotions.
