| 2 February |
Writing Your Story: Emotional Control |
As you learn to take personal responsibility over your life, one of the biggest lessons is emotional control. Like most people, you’ve probably gone through your life reacting to situations and your environment, rather than responding in a more proactive, responsible manner. It’s a subconscious reaction to say,
“That person makes me so mad!”
“This person makes me sad.”
“This person makes me feel so fulfilled.”
“That person makes me happy.”
But in fact, nobody can control your emotions except for you. By allowing someone else to “make” you feel a certain way, you’re in effect giving your power to them. There is always a choice in how to respond to situations. On the surface, being in a relationship where you feel that someone “completes” you or “fulfills” you may look like a wonderful thing. I’m not saying it isn’t, but I would challenge you to ask yourself, “Can I be complete or fulfilled without having to be in a relationship?” If the answer is no, then you are giving another person the power to control your happiness. Do you really want to let someone else be responsible for your joy?
Likewise, if you are confronted by a situation that elicits an immediate negative emotional response, take a step back and ask yourself,
“How else can I react to this?”
“WHY am I reacting like this?”
“Is there a better response?”
You and only you should be in charge of your emotions, whether they be positive or negative, because only you have the power to change them.
