Our Timeless Struggle

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” At least, it certainly feels that way, and many people agree. Thomas Paine’s words from 1776 resonate today, encapsulating our ongoing struggle to navigate life’s unpredictable challenges.

Life has a way of throwing the unexpected at us when we least expect it. In my lifetime, I have experienced wars, market crashes, pandemics, recessions, sudden illnesses, attacks from foreign adversaries, random sniper shootings in my hometown, hurricanes, floods, fires, and more. Each event seems like a new challenge, requiring us to navigate with only a partial map.

The Power of Choice

When life throws lemons, how do you respond? Do you choose to make lemonade, or do you succumb to bitterness? This choice significantly impacts your life’s trajectory.

Jack Canfield’s Formula: E x R = O

One of my mentors, Jack Canfield, illustrates our control over life outcomes through a simple formula:

• E (Event): The uncontrollable aspect of life.
• R (Response): Our reaction is entirely within our control.
• O (Outcome): The result is determined by our response.

The Multiplicative Power of Response

Our response to an event can be positive or negative, significantly altering the outcome. It’s about adding the right ingredients – like sugar and water to lemons – to create a favorable result.

We can’t control the event, but we can control our response. Responses include our physical reaction or behavior, thoughts about the event, and emotional response.

Our responses are within our control. The only person who chooses our response to an event is ourselves.

And it is our response that determines our O, the outcome. The lemon did not choose to either become a delicious beverage or cause a sour face. That outcome is determined by whether we add a little sugar and water.

Strategies for Optimal Outcomes

There are multiple approaches to controlling our response to bring the desired outcomes. They all work; we influence the result once we understand and accept that. We accelerate our success once we stop buying events for reasons we are not where we want to be. Here are a few strategic responses to bring you the ultimate outcomes.

• Avoid Negative Inputs. Be selective about the media you consume. Focus on information that empowers and informs rather than distresses. Unfortunately, bad news dominates our headlines.  We cannot change the adverse events beyond our control but choose which media to consume. Choose wisely in what you consume to create less need for response control.
• Act Proactively in Crisis. When a disaster or bad news strikes, consider your options and act accordingly. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, most of New Orleans was devastated. Most businesses suffered from physical damage. Essential records and information were lost, and thousands of people left the city, many not to return for several years. Yet many businesses became profitable again quickly, and many new companies took off after that storm. The difference is in the response. Some people looked at their ruined businesses, threw up their hands, and walked away. Others looked at the disaster and saw an opportunity and a chance to rebuild. 
• Alter Reactions to Bad Results. Don’t accept unfavorable outcomes. Adapt and change your approach to alter the results. If you have a meeting that goes badly, be more prepared for the next appointment. When you cannot get anyone to agree to a meeting, keep calling until someone answers the phone. When your family member does not show you the affection you desire, change your approach to them. Change your reaction and take control of your destiny.
• Controlled Panic. Allow brief moments of panic if needed, then calmly evaluate your options and act.  When life hands you lemons, you do have options.  You can panic, stick your head in the stand, claim gloom and doom, or tell everyone how tough things are.  Or, you can remain calm, evaluate your options, look for the opportunity, and decide what you need to do to be successful and go out there and do those things.  If you must panic, panic for 30 minutes, get it all out, pull up your pants, and evaluate your options. It is difficult to find reasonable solutions in panic moments.

Our response is always within our control. Most of the time, our response determines our outcomes. We fall short when we allow events to choose our results. For RADical success, control your response and your destiny.

Action Steps for Mastering Responses

Empowering Your Choices

1. Reflect on Your Reactions: Think about a recent challenging situation. How did you respond? Was it effective?
2. Plan a Different Approach: Identify one aspect of your reaction you wish to change. What could a more constructive response look like?
3. Implement and Observe: Apply this new response in a similar future situation and observe the outcome.

Why This Matters At RAD Strategic Partners, we emphasize the power of choice in shaping our destiny. By consciously altering our responses, we transition from passive recipients of circumstances to active architects of our success. Remember, it’s not the events but our reactions to them that carve our path. So, embrace this empowering approach and steer your life towards RADical success.