Can three letters and two maths symbols change your life?
We all know that in reality our choices, thoughts, actions and motivations are critical in bringing about long-term changes in our lives.
About 20 years ago I listened to a audio session given by American author and motivational speaker Jack Canfield, where he explained the power of a simple equation in changing the quality of your life. I took his message to heart and since then I feel like I have made the most of life's opportunities and setbacks - making them work in my favour rather than to my detriment.
E + R = O
The equation is simple:
Any EVENT (E) that occurs, together with your RESPONSE (R) determines the OUTCOME (O) for you.
The equation in action...
Too often we let our outcomes be determined by the actual event without considering how our response affects them. I saw this in action one day, shortly after learning about the equation, when the school photocopiers went offline for a day and no teachers could do any photocopying. As they went to the machine and read the note there was a variety of responses. One teacher in particular went ballistic - cursing the machine, disparaging the IT department, the school and its leadership as well as bemoaning how his lesson planning would now be useless. He was still complaining about it a week later and wrote a stern email to the school Executive. Not only did he have a dreadful day, but he obviously carried this around for some time after the day. If you asked him about it, I am sure that he would say that his outcomes were significantly caused by the event (rather than his response).
Another teacher came in, saw the note and, despite her frown, said 'Argh! Looks like I need a plan B.' Although not an ideal situation, she didn't let it spoil her lesson, her day, her week or her outlook. In fact, she saw it as a minor 'blip' in her busy day. The EVENT was exactly the same for these two teachers. The only difference was their RESPONSE to the event. This resulted in very different OUTCOMES for each of them.
I began to see the world differently! I could rarely alter the event but I could always make choices about my response to better my outcome. So simple, so powerful! It didn't make my life perfect but it certainly made me more mindful about how I viewed the world. What outcome did I want? What response is most likely to get that outcome for me?
Mindful responses...
This equation can be used for the big and little things that happen in our lives:
How will you respond knowing that nothing can change the event? What effect will anger, frustration, sadness, avoidance and denial have if held for the long term? What responses (whether immediate or indefinite) can improve the outcome? How will resilience, forgiveness, motivation and goal-setting be more helpful to you? Why do some people find it easy to move forward while others remain stuck?
Sceptical? Give it a try - what have you got to lose? Maybe this one simple equation CAN change your life!
We all know that in reality our choices, thoughts, actions and motivations are critical in bringing about long-term changes in our lives.
About 20 years ago I listened to a audio session given by American author and motivational speaker Jack Canfield, where he explained the power of a simple equation in changing the quality of your life. I took his message to heart and since then I feel like I have made the most of life's opportunities and setbacks - making them work in my favour rather than to my detriment.
E + R = O
The equation is simple:
Any EVENT (E) that occurs, together with your RESPONSE (R) determines the OUTCOME (O) for you.
The equation in action...
Too often we let our outcomes be determined by the actual event without considering how our response affects them. I saw this in action one day, shortly after learning about the equation, when the school photocopiers went offline for a day and no teachers could do any photocopying. As they went to the machine and read the note there was a variety of responses. One teacher in particular went ballistic - cursing the machine, disparaging the IT department, the school and its leadership as well as bemoaning how his lesson planning would now be useless. He was still complaining about it a week later and wrote a stern email to the school Executive. Not only did he have a dreadful day, but he obviously carried this around for some time after the day. If you asked him about it, I am sure that he would say that his outcomes were significantly caused by the event (rather than his response).
Another teacher came in, saw the note and, despite her frown, said 'Argh! Looks like I need a plan B.' Although not an ideal situation, she didn't let it spoil her lesson, her day, her week or her outlook. In fact, she saw it as a minor 'blip' in her busy day. The EVENT was exactly the same for these two teachers. The only difference was their RESPONSE to the event. This resulted in very different OUTCOMES for each of them.
I began to see the world differently! I could rarely alter the event but I could always make choices about my response to better my outcome. So simple, so powerful! It didn't make my life perfect but it certainly made me more mindful about how I viewed the world. What outcome did I want? What response is most likely to get that outcome for me?
Mindful responses...
This equation can be used for the big and little things that happen in our lives:
- Your car breaks down on the way to work
- The dishwasher remains unpacked again even though your son promised it would be done
- You are having trouble with a project at work
- You are struggling in a relationship
- A new government tax change will significantly impact your finances.
How will you respond knowing that nothing can change the event? What effect will anger, frustration, sadness, avoidance and denial have if held for the long term? What responses (whether immediate or indefinite) can improve the outcome? How will resilience, forgiveness, motivation and goal-setting be more helpful to you? Why do some people find it easy to move forward while others remain stuck?
Sceptical? Give it a try - what have you got to lose? Maybe this one simple equation CAN change your life!