The First Reaction is Never Right

I challenge you today with the thought that your first reaction is never right.

Our reactions are a mirror of our own feelings, our fears, and our deepest emotions.

You must become mindful that your thoughts are your own, and they do not represent other people’s perceptions. The reality of the situation you might be in, how you feel about an animal that you see across the street, how you judge another person’s reaction, is only your perception, and to break this barrier, the thing you must do is communicate.

No communication, shutting down, will only block you from seeing and learning from the world around you.

A person might be faced with the most gentle and clean little rat, yet, the reaction will be pure disgust.

There was a time on our planet where rats caused plagues and many people died as a result. This is a reality, but it has nothing to do with this clean little pet rat that has never even seen a street or sewer. Only his cage, his carrier, my hands, and sometimes some grass. You will find that when you start asking questions, and work on your communication skills, you will find your fears diminishing.

In another instance, you might feel like someone has hurt you on purpose, and yet, the other person isn’t aware at all that their actions have caused hurt, as they never had bad intentions towards you.

You may choose to shut down entirely believing your thoughts and refusing to make an effort to make peace for yourself, or you may choose to communicate and find out what the true intentions of the person are.

You might be right in thinking a person that you have a problem with wants to hurt you, but you also might be wrong. Chances are, an unpleasant situation you are in essentially boils down to miscommunication and your own personal triggers. Not always off course. There are assholes out there, unfortunately, but most of the time, it’s just a matter of perspective.

Your thoughts may betray you. The only way to learn and grow is to communicate, ask questions, and listen.

Our first instinct is to judge based on our past, our experiences, what we are made of. When stepping out of judgment, something amazing can happen, for you, for another human and even for another animal.