90/10 Rule - How to react to situations

Loveflower: Got this from someone and thought I'd share it here with you folks =) Enjoy.

90/10 Principle by Stephen Covey
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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 does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us.

We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in the traffic.

We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.

How?... By your reaction.

You cannot control a red light, but you can control your reaction. Do not let people fool you. YOU can control how you react.

Let us use an example.

You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what has just happened.

What happens next will be determined by how you react.

You curse.

You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and you criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish her breakfast and getting ready to go to school. She misses the bus.

Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone.

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60.00 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minute late, you realize you forgot your briefcase. 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 wife and daughter.

Why?... Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is “D”

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say: “It’s okay, honey, you just need to be more careful next time.” Grabbing a towel, you go upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff.

Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why?

Because of how you reacted.

You really have no control over 10% of what happens in your life. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 Principle... If someone says something negative about you, do not be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You do not have to let the negative comments affect you!

React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, or getting stressed out.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in the traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? (a friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Who cares if you arrive 10 seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?

Remember the 90/10 Principle and don’t worry about it.

You are told you lost your job.

Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time to find a new job.

The plane is late. It is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on.

Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger, why stress out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90/10 Principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90/10 Principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this Principle.

The result?

Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and headaches. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 Principle.

It can change your life!

The importance of matching undies

Before i start, i wanna warn u not to judge me... this may seem superficial but to some people, it holds the same amount of importance as the 52 degree slant of your hair, the north-east arrangement of your monitor, the line on your newly ironed short, etc.

What i am going to talk about is matching undies.

I recently had an epiphany as to why some girls are anal about getting a SET of undies and not just buying the bra or panty alone. And not just getting, but wearing the set together (Sometimes i don't ok? cos I've got my faves and every morning, deciding what to wear on the outside is a big enough headache). Here's a few scenarios as to why it is important:

1) You decided on a whim to go to a shiatsu massage just to kill time before a class outing. Lady masseur tells you to undress and you are grateful that you wore matching and nice undies.

2) You are trying on clothes in the fitting room and somebody flings the curtain open when you have stripped to your undies. You are grateful that you didn't scare the person with your fraying granny panties.

3) You are dead drunk and have locked yourself in the toilet. The staff breaks open the door, glances at you and appreciates your taste in undies for a brief moment. You are grateful that your matching undies managed to distract the staff from your mess.

4) You went wild and decided to throw caution to the wind and left the club with a deadly gorgeous guy. Blah blah blah. You are grateful that though your undies may be childish but they are at least matching.

5) You meet some guy with X-ray vision and as he laughs at everyone else's rubbish undies, you are grateful that you manage to get some respect from someone with superpowers due to your impeccable taste in matching undies.

6) You hang out your bamboo of washed undies and all your neighbours, including the one 3 blocks away, takes out their binoculars to appreciate your collection. You are grateful and able to walk around your neighbourhoood with your head held up high.

Hope you managed to comprehend the seriousness of this issue. It's time for an assessment of your collection.

Truthfully, only the massage and fitting room were my experiences. And don't you go staring at me weirdly from now on.

Supreme Court Open House - 14/15 Mar'09

Supreme Court of Singapore opens its door to the public (first time in history!) this weekend in the hopes of “demystifying” the institution, lessen the “anxiety” that people have about the courts and to show that “courts are not such a forbidding place”.

Highlight of the event is a mock criminal trial to find out the murderer of Humpty Dumpty. This 30min "Humpty" trial will be performed by court staff, in full costume and there's even a cordoned off "crime scene" within the building. Pretty cool right?? Haha.. And hmm, i thought Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall and fell to death... No??!!??

Other programmes included mock civil proceedings inside actual courtrooms, 30minute tours of the building, an exhibition debunking various “stereotypes” in Singapore courts, as well legal talks and clinics by the Law Society of Singapore. There are photo opportunities where one can dress up in a lawyer’s robe (wigs are optional) or be photographed as a criminal.

For more information, click here


YEAH!! I'm definitely going! Seeya tomorrow =)

Sick

Did you guys see the latest Sneeze Campaign ad by Health Promotion Board?? Very clever indeed! I'm sure the msg of flu bug being infectious will get across to people (eventually!!) and the spread can be easily prevent by doing 3 simple steps: stay at home when unwell, wear a mask when in public, and sneeze and cough into a tissue.

Anyway, I am recuperating at home as I come down with:
1. Sore throat - caused by the hot weather (i think) and maybe i caught the flu bug from someone on the train =(
2. Cough - have been coughing my lungs out for the past few nights lor... and till my eyes are both red with tears
3. Sore eyes - question marks right?? i thought my eyes are red becos of my non-stop coughing... but apparently, it really is sore eyes.
4. No sneezing, runny nose or etc, so I'm not really a full blown flu case yet...

Being the very socially responsible gal, I am staying at home today and tomorrow to rest!! (Erhh... after kena 'scoldings' from my colleagues on Tuesday and Wednesday that i may have sore eyes and should stay at home to rest...). My colleagues are glad that i am not spreading any bug/germ to them now...

And besides, I dont want to risk taking public transport AND catching the flu bug from someone else. Went to work yesterday and the train was full of ppl coughing and sneezing.... Argghhh!

You guys must take care of yourselves and stay healthy yah!! Being sick is not fun... =(