Living in reaction
Living in reaction is living meekly. Living in reaction is a symptom of low consciousness throughout your day, it is what happens when we forget to pay attention to the little things. Accepting this method of living is choosing to accept passivity, and choosing to ignore the transience of life. People who choose to live in reaction have no goals, they don’t have clear value systems or know where they are headed in life. These people wake up day to day with no purpose, no greater cause to live for. They have not found their passion, and when faced with the choice between fulfillment or pleasure always choose the latter. They never take full responsibility of their own lives, and always blame their current situation on; the government, friends, spouses, kids, work mates, everybody but themselves.
Case Study: Living in reaction
So what does someone living in reaction look like? Lets take the example of Matt.
Matt wakes up at 8AM to the sound of his alarm, he puts the alarm on snooze four times before getting up. The commute to Matt’s job in the city is one and a half hours long, he listens to the local radio station the whole way. Matt works eight hours at the same office he has been working at for the past eight years. Matt is unhappy with his salary which was previously adequate, however is now insufficient since he is expecting a third child with his wife Jessica. When Jessica met Matt fifteen years ago she was attracted to Matt because of his ambition, he was an aspiring entrepreneur who had dreams of starting his own online business during the .com boom. These days Jessica is losing attraction to Matt because he has lost his drive, as well as gained a few kilograms. Matt notices that things have changed but does not bother to talk about it. When Matt arrives home he numbs himself with mindless TV for a few hours, and has a beer before going to sleep. The next morning Matt puts his snooze on four times again.
Living in action
Living in action is the harder mode of living, it entails dealing with more obstacles but guarantees far greater rewards than choosing to embrace the passivity of reaction. Living in action is choosing to live boldly, it means that you go after what you want when you want. People who live in action understand one fundamental truth, that time is our greatest asset. Understanding that life is a gift, is what captivates those living in action to take more action. Action takers are goal oriented, and always work for results. If something doesn’t work the way it should, action takers don’t give up, they approach the obstacle relentlessly from one hundred different angles until it works. Action takers enjoy pleasure but are not blinded by it, their happiness stems from fulfillment. Those who choose the path of action accept full responsibility for their results, they do not look for anyone else to blame.
Case Study: Living in action
Lets take a look at Brandon, someone who lives in action.
Brandon wakes up at 7Am and gets ready for his commute to work, he makes sure to meditate for twenty minutes before he leaves to ensure that he is in the right state of mind. During Brandon’s commute to work he plays audio books on marketing. Brandon has an online business that he has been working on that generates passive income. When Brandon gets to work he is happy to be there, he feels like his work is challenging and fulfilling. Brandon asks his boss for more responsibilities on bigger projects, and is awarded with them, he gets a promotion due to the value he has been giving to the company. Brandon goes home to his wife Carmen, they both go to the gym together to work out during the evenings. Spending time together is not an issue as Brandon is able to afford oversees holidays every six months. He is able to take time off and buy the things he enjoys due to his job salary as well as the income generated from his online business. Brandon goes to sleep every night excited to smash his goals the next day.
It’s up to you
You have seen the difference in mindsets between Brandon and Matt, Brandon undoubtedly works more however he also enjoys his day more. This is the case for each one of us every single day of our lives. We are either taking action and directing the show, or being told what to do by others. The choice is ultimately yours, so are you going to live in action or reaction?