10% of life is made up of what happens to you and 90% of life is decided by how you react...
Life is filled with events and happenings that are out of our control. People and nature act in ways that we cannot always predict. Sometimes things happen in our favor and other times it seems like all the cards are stacked against us. The question is, when the cards are stacked against you how will you respond? Will you throw a fit, complain about things you can’t control and sulk in a sour mood until you are distracted by something else? Or will you accept that life does not always go your way, hold your head high and deal with the blows in a productive manner?
Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, struck a cord of brilliance when he coin-phrased the 90/10 principle. The 90/10 principle states that 10% of life is made up of what happens to you and 90% of life is decided by how you react. This means that 10% of what you encounter is out of your hands; 10% is the way the cards are stacked. The other 90% lies in your conscious choice of how to respond; 90% is how you play your hand.
You can respond to situations however you prefer, whether bitter or positive. One of the beautiful things about freedom is that we are able to choose our own destiny (90% of the time) between happiness and dismay. The downside to freedom is that we often don’t know what is best for us. We tend to complain about the things that we cannot control. Some people complain in their heads, some to close friends, some to everyone, and some to God or whatever other deities or forces they believe in.
From what I have learned and observed, I would dare say this tendency to complain has quite a bit of tradition as well, as our ancestors’ ancestors complained about not having enough rain for their crops or having too much rain that they were flooded. As humans, we always have a vision of how we would like things to be…perfect. We want others to notice us; we want to be smarter; we want a sunny day.
But honestly, what’s so much better about being noticed, or being smarter, or having a sunny day? There is value in the opposite of these scenarios as well. When you aren’t noticed by others as much, you don’t need to waste time buying expensive clothes or make-up, checking your hair, and worrying constantly about what your peers are thinking. When you aren’t the smartest, you don’t need to take the hardest classes or worry about fulfilling large expectations from others. When it’s not a sunny day you can stay inside and catch up on reading, watch a movie, or hang out more with family and friends.
There are always two sides to any story, two ways you can react to any situation and two attitudes you can maintain at any given time. My suggestion is that you use your freedom for your benefit and the benefit of others by keeping an optimistic attitude and overflowing positive energy. I’ve said it once and I will say it again, attitude is contagious.
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
-Randy Pausch
Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, struck a cord of brilliance when he coin-phrased the 90/10 principle. The 90/10 principle states that 10% of life is made up of what happens to you and 90% of life is decided by how you react. This means that 10% of what you encounter is out of your hands; 10% is the way the cards are stacked. The other 90% lies in your conscious choice of how to respond; 90% is how you play your hand.
You can respond to situations however you prefer, whether bitter or positive. One of the beautiful things about freedom is that we are able to choose our own destiny (90% of the time) between happiness and dismay. The downside to freedom is that we often don’t know what is best for us. We tend to complain about the things that we cannot control. Some people complain in their heads, some to close friends, some to everyone, and some to God or whatever other deities or forces they believe in.
From what I have learned and observed, I would dare say this tendency to complain has quite a bit of tradition as well, as our ancestors’ ancestors complained about not having enough rain for their crops or having too much rain that they were flooded. As humans, we always have a vision of how we would like things to be…perfect. We want others to notice us; we want to be smarter; we want a sunny day.
But honestly, what’s so much better about being noticed, or being smarter, or having a sunny day? There is value in the opposite of these scenarios as well. When you aren’t noticed by others as much, you don’t need to waste time buying expensive clothes or make-up, checking your hair, and worrying constantly about what your peers are thinking. When you aren’t the smartest, you don’t need to take the hardest classes or worry about fulfilling large expectations from others. When it’s not a sunny day you can stay inside and catch up on reading, watch a movie, or hang out more with family and friends.
There are always two sides to any story, two ways you can react to any situation and two attitudes you can maintain at any given time. My suggestion is that you use your freedom for your benefit and the benefit of others by keeping an optimistic attitude and overflowing positive energy. I’ve said it once and I will say it again, attitude is contagious.
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
-Randy Pausch
