13167: The Choices We Have When “Life Happens”

Raw transcript:

you’ve heard the phrase life happens and
sometimes what happens to us in life can
be very
surprising really debilitating really
enjoyed uh you know
inspiring and I want to break down what
happens when life happens into two
distinct
events bear with me listen watch this
complete episode of the vo Heroes
podcast
[Music]
things happen to us all the
time and sometimes the things that
happen to
us uh are partly or wholly our doing you
know we make a choice in life and
there’s a result of that choice
something
happens sometimes things happen to us
that are completely out of the blue they
we had we didn’t see them coming they
have nothing to do with what choices
we’ve made in our lives you know think
about you know the bus you didn’t see
coming down the street it doesn’t have
to be that bad it could be great things
that happened to us but I I want we
sometimes think about that as one event
this thing happened to me life happened
to me life got Lifey and the fact of the
matter is is that that kind of an event
is actually two steps always two steps
the thing
happens and then we react to it what we
do after that is our decision
completely you know if something good
happens we can doubt that we are ready
for that kind of success if something
bad happens we think to ourselves
immediately well what the hell did I do
if if we’re self-aware we think what did
I do to make that happen and sometimes
the answer is
nothing um and then we choose how to
react to it what to do after that event
occurs the first part of that sometimes
has nothing to do with you not in your
control not up to you nothing you did to
make or or stop that from happening but
the second part how you react to
whatever happened whether it’s expected
or not whether it’s a surprise or not
whether it was planned or not that
reaction is entirely up to you and under
your control you can get mad about
things you can be defensive about things
you can be accepting about things you
can be curious about things you can be
uh joyful generous thoughtful mindful
about things you can be angry about
things you have all these choices
available to you and we sometimes think
uh okay I I didn’t see that coming so X
happens but that X is a
choice you know I’ve been doing a lot of
thinking lately while I’m driving I know
this is going to be like really David
and I think about road rage and I think
about why road rage occurs um it’s a
really selfish reaction it’s obviously
and it’s a dangerous reaction it’s a
it’s a a deadly reaction sometimes
people who uh you know want to be
justifi justified they want Justice in
their life when it comes to driving on
the roads will you know throw up a
middle finger they’ll they’ll stop their
car they’ll they’ll chase after people
they’ll pull weapons it’s like and it’s
all of that is a choice all of that is a
choice I have been
really uh uh concentrating lately on
choosing to be imaginative about my
response you know somebody you know
screaming down the road scoots around me
screams off down the road I used to say
things like what a jerk what an ass what
a what a you know they’re they’re they
have a death wish I still say that
sometimes but here’s what I’ve been
trying to do for the most part and that
is gosh I wonder if there’s a child in
that car and they’re trying to get to
the hospital or I wonder what’s going on
in their life that makes them do that
and I know it’s like really David you’re
so generous uh in those moments believe
me there are times when that’s not the
reaction that I have but I’m trying to
skew on that side because it doesn’t
cost me anything and that’s the message
that I have for you today it can be very
compensatory very
valuable to really take a moment and
choose what your reaction is to the
events that happen in your life they can
lead to very happy outcomes they can
lead to very deadly outcomes but you
have that choice and and I urge you to
take a
moment and consider your
choices that’s the whole message here
you do have a choice in how you react to
the events that happen in your voiceover
career in your acting career in your
personal life in your interactions with
strangers in your interactions with your
friends and family you have a choice and
we’ve been trained by modern politics
and social
media to immediately head toward uh
showing how clever you are in your
retort or cancelling people or insulting
people or being uh creative in your
responses in a way that is insulting
it’s just it’s awful sometimes and
there’s a little tiny spark of joy for
the moment in that and then there’s like
this feeling of God why did I say that
why did I do that sometimes there are
some people who just can’t read the room
uh but I don’t think that’s you because
if you’re watching this this podcast I
think you’re you’re trying to do better
with your professional and your personal
and your your uh interpersonal
relationships um so take a moment when
things happen take a briefest the
briefest of moments and consider your
response you probably have more choices
than you
think you probably do I would love to
know what you think about this so in the
comments below tell me you can hit the
like button if you like what you’ve been
hearing you can hit the Subscribe button
if you want to subscribe to my channel
uh you can hit the notification Bell to
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delicate
Bing yeah like that I’m David H Lawrence
17th I thank you so much for watching
and for listening and I choose to react
to you in the most generous way possible
thanks and I’ll see you in the next
episode of the vo Heroes
podcast
[Music]

(from YouTube)