In that tiny space, between what happens and how you respond ~ is your power!
Hey y’all, welcome to More Lovin, the podcast that brings more laughter, light, and love into everyday life. I’m your host LeAnn Austin, and together we’ll rediscover the beauty of connection to your body, your mind, your spirit, and the people you love.
Today’s episode #227: Response-Ability: The Power You Didn’t Know You Had
One word we’re honing in on today that sounds simple, but it actually is life changing… response-ability.
Not responsibility in the heavy, stressful way we usually think about it. But response-ability, the ability to choose how we respond.
And this idea was talked about so beautifully by Viktor Frankl, who believed that even when we can’t control what happens to us, we can still choose our response.
His famous quote is this: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
So many times in life things happen that we didn’t ask for. Hard conversations, disappointments, stress, unexpected situations. And our first reaction is often automatic. We react quickly. We react emotionally. We react out of habit.
But response-ability means something different. It means there is a small space between what happens to us and how we respond to it. And inside that space is our power.
That means we don’t have to react in anger. We don’t have to react in frustration. We don’t have to react in fear. We can pause. We can breathe. And we can choose something more loving, more calm, or more intentional.
Think about how different your day feels when you respond instead of react. Maybe someone says something that normally would upset you. Maybe something doesn’t go as planned. Maybe your schedule changes, or something feels stressful.
Response-ability is not about being perfect. It’s not about never feeling emotions. It’s about giving yourself just enough space to respond in a way that actually feels good later.
Sometimes response-ability looks like pausing instead of snapping back, listening instead of assuming, speaking kindly instead of reacting quickly, or choosing calm instead of choosing chaos.
What I love about this idea is that it puts power back in your hands. You may not control every situation, but you always have the ability to choose your response. And every time you choose a calm response, a loving response, or a thoughtful response, you are strengthening your emotional muscles.
That’s where real strength lives… not in reacting faster, but in responding in a way that creates more lovin in your life.
So here’s a little reminder: You are not powerless. You always have response-ability. The ability to pause, breathe, and choose a response that reflects who you truly want to be. Hmm, something to think about.
Here’s to response-ability and more lovin. Have a good one y’all.
Thanks for tuning in. If you are ready to take what we talk about here and make it personal, let’s work together one-on-one. I’ll help you calm your nervous system, strengthen your relationships, and create more lovin, laughter, and calm in your life. You can find all the details at leannaustin.com
Until next time. Keep choosing fun, connection, and a whole lot more lovin. Have a good one y’all.