Stop the World! I Want to Get Off!

That’s the sense I get from many people that I talk with today.  There’s so much going on, and coming at us so fast. If you turn on the news, peruse the internet or pick up a newspaper, all you see is how society is breaking down; trade wars, a nuclearized North Korea, senseless acts of violence, and endless political debates.  Who doesn’t dream about reshaping the world to their version of utopia?

While we fantasize about our ideal world, it feels great, yet it also leaves us in a bit of a funk when we realize how little we can control.  However, the reality is we do control SOME things!  So therein lies what I want to share with you today.

I just finished listening to Stephen Covey’s audiobook, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Coincidentally, I came across the article referenced below by Dimensional Fund Advisors the next day. Together, they provided me with this powerful aha moment.

Dimensional Fund Advisors’ article hypothesizes that outcomes (O) are merely the product of events (E) and our response (R) to those events.  The formula is E + R = O.  This formula correlates with Stephen Covey’s discussion about the “space between” a stimulus, synonymous with an event, and our response. The “space between” a stimulus and a response is the plus (+) sign.  That’s where our sphere of influence resides, our control, and the opportunity to have a positive impact.

Stock markets go up and down, “wrong” candidates win elections, we receive bad news about our health or that of a loved one; all of these events and more are outside of our control. However, if we want greater control of outcomes, we need to give ourselves more time for our response.  We need to pause and live in the “space between.”

If we are intentional with our response, and not immediate and reactionary, we increase our ability to shape the outcome and for it to be better than what we had initially anticipated. Perfect results guaranteed, no, but better.

We can never anticipate what the future holds, but we can plan for and practice what our response might look like, knowing the exact scenario likely will never happen.  In the end, when we confront an unpleasant stimulus, we can rely on a version of our prepared, practiced response and retain a modicum of control over the outcome.

Now it’s your turn.  Can you put this formula to work in your life? E + R = O.

Whatever unknown event might occur today or tomorrow, take some time and pause at the +. Live in the space between and increase your control over the outcomes in your life.

(1) Dimensional Fund Advisors
Front Foot Advisor_ E+R_ a Formula for Success