3:11
Do you Respond or React? l Bob Proctor
Proctor Gallagher Institute
Overview
This video contrasts reacting and responding, explaining that reacting is an automatic, instinctual behavior that gives away personal power, while responding involves a conscious choice made within a brief mental space. It highlights that humans, as a higher form of creation, possess the faculty to respond by analyzing situations before acting, thereby retaining control and power. The core message emphasizes the importance of choosing to respond to maintain personal agency and improve life outcomes.
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Chapters
- Human beings are born in an animalistic state characterized by automatic reaction (fight or flight).
- As we develop consciousness, we gain the ability to move beyond mere reaction.
- Reacting means giving your power to the external situation or person you are reacting to.
Understanding the difference between innate reaction and conscious response is crucial for recognizing where your personal power lies and how easily it can be surrendered.
The initial state of being born is described as animalistic, operating on action-reaction, which is akin to fight or flight.
- Responding is a conscious choice, not an automatic reflex.
- When you respond, you analyze the situation and choose your action, maintaining your power.
- Responding involves pausing to consider 'why' a situation is happening or why someone is behaving a certain way.
Choosing to respond allows you to maintain control over your life and decisions, rather than being controlled by external circumstances or other people.
Instead of immediately reacting to a situation, you pause and think, 'Hm, I wonder why that's happened. I wonder why they're being like that,' before deciding how to act.
- There exists a small 'space' between an event and our response to it.
- This space, however brief, provides an opportunity to choose between reacting and responding.
- Viktor Frankl's work highlights the significance of this mental space for human agency.
Recognizing and utilizing this mental space is the key to consciously choosing your response and exercising your free will.
Viktor Frankl noted that in every situation, there is a space between the situation itself and how we respond to it, allowing for a deliberate choice.
- Humans are considered God's highest form of creation, endowed with faculties beyond animalistic reaction.
- These faculties include the ability to analyze, think, and then act deliberately.
- Embracing this higher capacity means choosing to respond rather than react.
Understanding our inherent capacity for thoughtful response empowers us to live more intentionally and effectively, aligning with our potential.
Using your God-given faculties to analyze a situation and then decide how you are going to deal with it, rather than simply reacting.
Key takeaways
- Reacting is an automatic, power-surrendering response rooted in instinct.
- Responding is a conscious, power-retaining choice that involves analysis and deliberate action.
- A brief mental space exists between an event and your reaction, offering a critical moment to choose your response.
- By choosing to respond, you reclaim personal power and control over your life.
- Humans possess the unique ability to analyze situations and choose their actions, distinguishing them from animals.
- Consciously choosing to respond leads to better outcomes and a more empowered life.
Key terms
ReactRespondAnimalistic stateConsciousnessFight or flightPersonal powerSpace between stimulus and responseGod-given faculties
Test your understanding
- What is the fundamental difference between reacting and responding?
- How does reacting impact your personal power in a situation?
- Why is the 'space' between an event and your action significant?
- How can understanding your human faculties help you choose to respond instead of react?
- What is the ultimate benefit of consistently choosing to respond over reacting?