Half a Minute to History

Yesterday's news, that's HISTORY! And so, it is summarily dismissed; pulled from the stock of old memories as fodder for gossip or a reminder of 'when you tried that once before... ' The personal history we believe immutable is typically the painful memories; the lessons. Can you change your history? You can.

How is this possible? History is a record of events as they unfolded. Strangely enough, the stories always begin with the end of the story. That is how we title and file them in our mind as memories and in the records of time.

So, how is it possible to rewrite your personal history? By changing your response to events that occur daily; it effectively changes even you. It sounds like a simple solution, but it takes some maneuvering. You must be willing to cease a habit of automatic responses in times of conflict or when the outcome of the issue is important to you.

Taking the time to imagine what the desired response the other people involved are looking for is the first step. This can take only seconds. What do they expect your response will be to whatever the issue is? Is it the response that will record history in a way that you can feel good about?

If not, how will you want this event to be remembered? How will you want the story to be told? This is the correct response for you; the one that benefits your personal history. The one you can't wait to recount to others when it matters.

The human brain can interpret both of these actions in less than twenty seconds; which seems like an eternity to those awaiting your response. We call these 'studied' answers, because they are! Less than half a minute to alter the outcome of your personal story; not much to make a major difference, is it?

When you begin to incorporate this into your life as a 'normal' method of responding to conflicts or challenges, you will quickly see that a few things begin to happen routinely.

1. People who formerly baited you will begin to see the change. They realize your response did not satisfy their desire to 'get you' again.

2. Others begin to see you as a person who answers thoughtfully; they may begin to seek you out to get an honest opinion, because now yours has far more value.

3. You will be perceived as a steady, thoughtful individual; the kind of person who wins in life far more than not.

The act of hesitating before a response, measuring the outcome before you speak and then acting in the manner that will end the story on your terms positions you as a person who is in control of their own life. You are then considered to be one who is capable of leading others and one who definitely does not make a good target to harass or bully.

All those benefits gained by simply taking less than half a minute to change the outcome of any situation to one more favorable for you. And then, you will have rewritten history.