Don't react! I could write a book on this but a few lines will do. People - of the normal crazy variety - say and do stupid things - for all kinds of reasons (they feel threatened, annoyed, frustrated or they want to state their case or fight their corner). The silly things we do are, however, all automatic - we can't help ourselves but, boy, do we make "life" even more difficult for ourselves than it already appears. The problem is, when a crazy says or does something stupid, we are hard-wired to react too - and that always makes things worse rather than better. So, don't react. As today progresses, you may well be tempted or feel the need - the urge for self-protection is primal, remember. But don't - just take a breath or two, do and say just what needs to be done or said and sail on... life's too short.

Picking up on my Quick Tip above - I did say that I could write a book on it! - it is self-evident that we are actually "wired" to react. That was OK 10,000 years ago - when the guys would go out hunting for this evening's dinner and hope to "make it through the day" - and the girls would keep camp, look after the young, the old, the sick and, in their own inimitable way, hope to "make it through the day" too. We needed to have our wits about us - just to survive.

However, that primal survival urge gets us into all kinds of trouble in a modern world that all-together more complicated - even though it is only us, ourselves, who have complicated it! That survival urge shows up in all kinds of everyday places from road-rage to email-rage! We knee-jerk (jerk being the operative word!) react because we're made that way.

Unfortunately, our reactions have nothing to do with what's actually going on - they are based on what we perceive to be going on which could, given that we're all crazy, have absolutely nothing to do with reality (whatever that is!). The one thing we can be100% sure of, however, is that our reactions have nothing to do with the here and now... nothing at all. Our reactions are automated, patterned and repetative - we've been reacting the same way since we learned to behave that way... before we were even three years old.

So, when I suggest to you that you don't react today, I'm asking you to do something that goes against everything that you've done (well, done automatically that is) since you were a teenager. And, with the habit of an adult lifetime under your belt, that is well-nigh impossible. However, it becomes possible - with a little practice it becomes probable - when you've already taken the trouble to take control of what's going on between your ears before the day gets going. You know what I'm talking about - you need to meditate.

I'm sorry (I'm not actually) for going on about this - but meditation is the only scientifically validated way you have to develop your awareness - your self-awareness and your awareness of what is actually going on in the here and now. Awareness is a wonderful thing: it changes your view of reality; it tears you away from your subconscious obsession with what happened to you when you were a two-year-old; it enables you perceive what's really happening and how best you can act to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve out of the situation in which you find yourself. In short, it enables you act... and that's a million miles removed from reacting.

I've two upcoming events scheduled for Dublin: The Psychology of Success is scheduled for take-off again on Wednesday September 7th. Last time - a couple of weeks ago - we had a full house so, if you would like to learn how to take control of your mind and make everything so much easier as a result, you might like to reserve your spot for this Workshop sooner rather than later. You'll find all the details here...

Secondly, Thursday 8th will see the culmination of a process - for existing clients - that will stretch over July and August... The Gurdy Summer Camp (after a fashion!). You'll start with a little self-evaluation, using the Mindfulness Measurement Index™ to get a snapshot of where your purposeful focus stands and what results you've got to show for it. As I say, that's where we'll start. I'll then follow up with you - one-to-one - to help you evaluate what you could do next to "up the ante". And, then, we'll all get together, as a group, for the day, in Dublin on Sept 8th. Now, obvsiously, numbers are limited for this Program - and, even now, there are only a few places still available. So, if you're interested in participating and you are an existing client, take a moment to look over the Program in a little more detail here: Purposeful Focus & Tangible Results - Evaluating Your Progress & Stepping Up