It’s How You Respond

There is a stoic concept that states: 

“Whatever external stimulus is applied to you, it is your response that matters”.

An external stimulus can be anything positive from achieving a lifelong goal, spending time with your loved ones, romance, a morning coffee on a sunny day, extending a contract, learning a new skill or improving at something, a genuine compliment from someone you respect, a great training session where everything clicks, being in nature (beach, bush, mountains), or acting in alignment with your values.

Additionally, an external stimulus can be something negative, ranging from things like losing your keys or important belongings, being told that you were not selected in the desired team, forgetting a password, your favourite sports team losing or losing a sports fixture yourself, getting injured, a failed business, all the way to the heavy experiences like depression, facing the loss of a loved one, or receiving a terminal illness.

Whatever end of the spectrum our stimulus may lie, we as human beings are inevitably going to face some type of external stimuli being applied to our lives. The key however lay in the way we choose to respond to such circumstances. And our ability to make the right decision in accordance with such stimulus.

I first came across this idea from the book - Lessons on Living by Nigel Latta. A clinical psychologist from New Zealand. And interestingly, he had come across this idea from the book - Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr Victor Frankl. An omen to an idea of writing a piece titled ‘every thought has been thought’.

Frankl was a Jewish Psychiatrist from the nineteenth century who faced the harsh conditions of the Nazi concentration camps during WW2. Frankl’s findings from his experiences concluded that no matter how much suffering we as individuals go through, no matter how much is stripped away from us, no one can ever strip away our freedom to choose how you respond to any external factor placed upon you.

So I guess what I'm trying to say, as I conclude this piece of writing, is that suffering is inevitable. The range of such suffering is circumstantial obviously, but what can help us get through these times is to respond to such stimulus, with an attitude that acts in accordance towards achieving a positive outcome.

Through that journey you will not only transcend such times, but indirectly become a better person and be able to turn such suffering into human achievement. A sort of fulfilled humanity.