The 90/10 Principle – by Stephen Covey

Discover This 90/10 Principle
It will change your life

(or at least the way you react to situations).

WHAT IS THIS PRINCIPLE?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you…

90% of life is decided by how you react.

WHAT THAT THIS MEANS?

We really have NO control over the 10% of what happens to us.

The 90% is different.

YOU determine the 90%

HOW?

By The Way You React.

You cannot predict to control unplanned situation, such as an accident, a death, being late to school, in traffic, and so on…

However, you can control your reaction.

What you can do, is simple.

Do not let circumstances, or people to fool you.

YOU can control how you react.

~0o0~

Let’s take this example: ( True story!)

You lived with your Father, in a rental apartment, with another roommate.

As far as you know, things were fine, you finally situated in the nearest school, your father got him self a new job, and things looks fine.

Now, Out of no where, your Fathers roommate, asks you to move ASAP, since her Ex Boyfriend decided to come back, after dumping her, and marrying someone else.

What do you do now?

Your Father does not have a stable job to find an apartment that can give him, the same deal he had.

You just made new friends and your school is half a block away.

Life looks unfair, isn’t it?

You feel like, your entire world is crashing down, and all that, over an immature decision of someone else, to which…

YOU HAVE NO CONTROL over what has just happened. ARE YOU WITH ME SO FAR?

Now, The way you react, will be determined by HOW YOU REACT.

~0o0~

You curse.

You harshly scold your father for not being wise with his choices.

He breaks down with guilt and shame.

After scolding him, you turn to your mother and criticize her for getting a divorce, and putting you in the middle of this mess.

A short verbal battle follows.

Now, you have a huge headache.

You storm upside and hold your head with disbelief.

Back home, you find your father has been too busy beating himself up and getting ready to go to work.

His car crashes down.

And you must leave immediately to school, while he needs to go to work.

You rush to the bus to get to school.

Because you both are late,

The bus drives 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone.

After a 15-minute delay, you finally arrive at school.

You run into the class without saying good morning.

Your teacher says, you are 20 minutes late,

You realize your forgot your backpack.

Your day has started terrible.

As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.

You look forward to coming home.

When you arrive home, you find a small wedge

in your relationship with your father and his roommate.

Why?

Because of how you reacted earlier in the morning.

~0o0~

Why did you have a bad day?

~0o0~

A) Did the roommate cause it?

B) Did your father cause it?

C) Did the policeman cause it?

D) Did you cause it?

~0o0~

The answer is: D

~0o0~

You had NO CONTROL over what happened with the roomate.

~0o0~

How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day!

~0o0~

Here is what could have and should have happened.

<<<

Roommate asked your father to move ASAP, It put you in confusion.

Your father is about to cry, but he was thought, man don’t cry, so it’s killing him inside.

You gently say:

“It’s okay, dad, you just need to be wiser and careful next time, when you chose your roommate.”

Taking a deep breath, hugging each other, saying, its life, and something good will come out of it. I don’t know How, I Just know it will.

And start looking for a better and nicer place to live.

You grab your backpack, look through the window and see your father is waiting for you in his car.

He turns and smiles. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the teacher.

~0o0~

Notice the difference?

 ~0o0~

Two different scenarios.

Both started the same.

Both ended different.

WHY?

Because of how you reacted.

In Real world, you really have no control over 10% of what happens in your life.

The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

~0o0~

Absolutely everything we do, give, say or even think,

It’s like a Boomerang.

It will come back to us.

If we want to receive, we need to learn to give first…

Maybe we will end with our hands half empty, but our hearts will be filled with love.

And those who love life,

have that feeling marked in their hearts…

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