It will Depend on your Reaction

"Outcome will depend on your reaction." that is what they usual tell me whenever I encounter bad situation. Now, I am in one so I don't know what to do so I turn to the email that my friend set to me. It is abou what Stephen Covery wrote the "90/10 Principle". He said 10 percent of your life is made up of what happens to you while 90% of life is decided by how you react which means we have no control over that 10 percent but You determine the other 90% by your reaction. He stated an example.

"You are having breakfast with your family. Your daughther knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no conrtol over what has just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react.

You curse. You harshly scold your daughther for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your wife and you criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. (a short verbal battle follows)

You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daugther has been too busy cryingn to finish her breakfast and getting ready to school. (she misses the bus)

Your spouse must leave immidiately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daugther to school. Because you are late you drive 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone. After a 15-minute delat and throwing $60.00 traffic find away, you arrive at school. Your daugther rins into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minute late, you realize your forgot your briefcase. Your day stated terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home.

Whan you arrive home you wil find a small wedge in your relationship with your wife and daugther. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning."

Based on the example, the cause of everything is how he reacted in those 5 seconds. We do not have control over the cup of coffee. And instead of how he reacted, he could have gently say to his daugther "It's okay honey, you just need to be more careful next time." Grab a towel and go upstairs and change your shirt.  Grab the briefcase and you will come back in time to look through the window and see your daugther getting on the bus.