Ever thought about the difference between reacting and responding?

As it turns out, the answer to this question is very important to the quality of life we live. With my Nurture Your Family Retreat coming up this Saturday, I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject.

Most of the time we go through our day reacting quickly and emotionally to all the stimuli and influences that come our way. We have lots on our minds, lots to do. We seldom pause to reflect and consider our many possible perceptions and choices. We seldom have an intention or focus for our words and actions.

Yet these very words and actions make a big impact in our relationships with those we love the most. They affect the kind of reaction we get from others and how they see us. How they relate with us. The closeness we have with them. Our words and choices have the power to bring us more joy or more discomfort and hurt.

When we respond, we bring more consciousness and clarity into our choices, actions and words.  We have a thoughtful, heart-centered focus, a priority from which we act. This becomes our guiding light as we connect with others. When we have more awareness, our love becomes more effective in creating true closeness.

When we respond, we create more joy, more love with our family.  There are fewer conflicts and misunderstandings. Difficulties can be worked out more easily. We create relationships based on trust and honesty, where we can authentically be ourselves.

Reacting comes so quickly and easily. We don’t have to consider or listen deeply. It’s so easy to forget to pause before we react.

Here are three effective steps you can take to increase your respons-ability.

1. Observe your interactions and emotional reactions with others. What patterns do you see?
2. Pause. Create time to reflect on what you really want for yourself and each person in your family.
3. Create a focus for yourself, the ground on which you choose to stand as you go through your day and when things get rocky. Practice feeling this ground moment to moment.

My upcoming Nurture Your Family Retreat gives you this time to pause. Sometimes we need someone to hold our feet to the floor so we don’t get distracted. The retreat is an opportunity to focus.

The retreat also provides a structure that guides you to reflect. Perhaps you will consider new questions you have never asked yourself before. Looking from new perspectives expands what you can see.

Meeting and sharing in a group is more powerful than sitting by yourself. Another parent may share an experience or insight that inspires new awareness for you.

My Nurture Your Family Retreat is only a two hour investment, and it can give you a whole year of joy for 2016 and for a lifetime.

Your relationships with yourself and with your family are too important to leave to your emotional reactions. I invite you to invest in yourself and your family by joining us in retreat.

Here are the details.

Date: this Saturday, January 30

Cost: Fr*ee. My gift to you

To sign up, simply go here.

If you can’t be on the call live, sign up anyway so you can do this in a time convenient for you.

I hope you can join us. Invite your partner, your parents, your friends and family. Create magic!

Love,
Connie