I recently listened to a podcast by John C. Maxwell, where he shared an intriguing insight: our perspective can dramatically alter the events of our day. He offered a humorous example involving road rage.

If you’ve ever experienced road rage, you’ve likely witnessed someone expressing their anger with the infamous middle finger. But John reframes this entirely. He chooses to see it as someone enthusiastically declaring they’re his “number one fan.”

This simple shift in perspective highlights the choices we have in how we respond to the world around us.

A Personal Lesson in Choosing My Response

One morning, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up some coffee creamer. The creamer was perched on a high shelf, and as I tiptoed to grab it, disaster struck. White liquid spilled all over my clothes and purse. Initially, I thought this might be a practical joke, but there were no hidden cameras or pranksters in sight.

In that moment, I faced a choice. I could either rant and rave to everyone within earshot or take a deep breath, clean myself up, and calmly inform a store clerk about the incident. As tempting as the first option was, I chose the second because I’ve learned a vital truth: reacting with anger often invites more anger into our day. Had I let frustration take over, it might have followed me straight to my car, manifesting as road rage on my drive home.

The Takeaway

We can’t control the actions or intentions of others, but we can control our response to them. Our perspective shapes not just the events of our day, but also the way we carry ourselves through life’s inevitable challenges.

The question is, how will you choose to respond when life spills something unexpected your way?