A tense and heated election is taking place, and when completed, half of the nation will be thrilled… and half of the nation will be quite upset. As easy as it is to get completely wrapped up emotionally in the outcome (and I do believe emotions will be running high due to the significance of this particular election), we have to remind ourselves that we have the ability to control our emotions. Our responses to most things in life are usually subconscious, programmed, and reactionary. It happens so effortlessly that we believe that our responses are out of our control.
Viktor Frankl, the Austrian neurologist, Holocaust survivor, and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, explained that there is a small gap between a stimulus and our response. In that gap lies our ability to choose. This is why two people can experience the exact same event, yet each responds in a different way.
Because we are so conditioned to behave and react in certain ways, our responses are automatic. They appear to us to be a result of how we are wired. But the cool thing about that little gap is that it can be changed. Our reflex to snap, yell, get angry, or frustrated can become a reaction of peace, understanding, calmness, or quietness. As humans, we have the incredible ability to change how we respond to the events, people, and the world around us.
I’m giving this extra thought this week because next week is the election. And no matter the outcome, approximately 50% of Americans are going to be severely disappointed. If your candidate loses, you will respond in some way. It is likely you can predict how you will respond.
I recommend taking a moment and running the scenario through your head right now. See the election not going as you had hoped. Now… instead of seeing the world coming to an end… seeing yourself unable to function… seeing those that voted for the other candidate as complete idiots… and being paralyzed by fear, disgust, and anger… see it as a disappointment, but move on.
The day after this election, you will still get up, still have to go to work, and still have to produce. Your family is still intact, you still have your skillsets, and you still have your health. It is as good a time as any to recommit to becoming the best human being you can be. The world still needs you…it still needs you for what you have to offer. You had no direct impact, nor will you have a direct impact on the workings of the world, so don’t beat yourself up over what has happened, and do not curl up in a ball and quit.
Whatever you were doing prior to the election is exactly what you will be doing after the election. Craziness is sure to ensue no matter who gets elected, but you still have to continue working on you. You can’t change those around you, but you can change you. You can’t change the world, but you can change your world and the world of the people you interact with daily.
Remember that little gap… the one between a stimulus and your response. Don’t just let your programming, friends, the media, or some made-up story in your head dictate what happens in that gap. How you respond… to this election and everything else in your life… is up to you. Don’t just react. Choose! You have much more control over it than you think.
