The Trump era begins. The Guardian reported caution in China, sorrow and anger in Mexico as global responses to Friday’s power handover. Protests across America and the world overshadows his first 24 hours.
It is what it is.
Every day we're liable to encounter traumatic events that will depress, anger and all-around cripple us...if we let them. Maybe you wanted a job. But they decide to go with a different candidate. Maybe you wanted to go golfing. But there's a thunderstorm outside.
All of these things are common scenarios that cause us to lose our cool and get upset. And all of them are because reality is not matching up with what we wanted.
Why is it that some people fly off the handle at the smallest thing and other people seem to possess the patience of Job? Honestly, I don't know. But what I do know is that we can lengthen or shorten our fuse length. The way I see it, people don't have bad tempers; they have badly trained tempers.
The moment between an event which upsets us and response is where we choose how we are going to react. We can use that moment to breathe deeply or leave the room to compose ourselves.
Before we continue, let's get one thing straight: this does not mean that I advocate becoming a Buddhist monk who "submits" to everything and everyone, and relegates himself to a life of silence, prayer and meditation. No, not even close.
Each person has a temperament. Is it unpredictable and fiery? Is it calm and unhurried? Is it selfish and thoughtless? Is it generous and kind? The good news is that we can change it.
This is not to say I've reached this point - not even close to it. But this is an area I'm working very hard on.
In my 20's I had quite a temper. I was nicknamed "the executioner" on the football field. At work, I would bang tables, throw files across the room and yes, even slammed a flipchart board onto the ground once. I look back now and wonder where that person went.
The question is not "what is your temperament?" but rather "what would you like your temperament to be." I would like to be able to become a man who walks calmly, thinks calmly and acts calmly, even under pressure - especially under pressure.
It is what it is.
Every day we're liable to encounter traumatic events that will depress, anger and all-around cripple us...if we let them. Maybe you wanted a job. But they decide to go with a different candidate. Maybe you wanted to go golfing. But there's a thunderstorm outside.
All of these things are common scenarios that cause us to lose our cool and get upset. And all of them are because reality is not matching up with what we wanted.
Why is it that some people fly off the handle at the smallest thing and other people seem to possess the patience of Job? Honestly, I don't know. But what I do know is that we can lengthen or shorten our fuse length. The way I see it, people don't have bad tempers; they have badly trained tempers.
The moment between an event which upsets us and response is where we choose how we are going to react. We can use that moment to breathe deeply or leave the room to compose ourselves.
Before we continue, let's get one thing straight: this does not mean that I advocate becoming a Buddhist monk who "submits" to everything and everyone, and relegates himself to a life of silence, prayer and meditation. No, not even close.
Each person has a temperament. Is it unpredictable and fiery? Is it calm and unhurried? Is it selfish and thoughtless? Is it generous and kind? The good news is that we can change it.
This is not to say I've reached this point - not even close to it. But this is an area I'm working very hard on.
In my 20's I had quite a temper. I was nicknamed "the executioner" on the football field. At work, I would bang tables, throw files across the room and yes, even slammed a flipchart board onto the ground once. I look back now and wonder where that person went.
The question is not "what is your temperament?" but rather "what would you like your temperament to be." I would like to be able to become a man who walks calmly, thinks calmly and acts calmly, even under pressure - especially under pressure.
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