Epictetus said people are disturbed not by events but by their opinions about events. The same rainy day ruins one person's mood and delights another. The event is neutral; the story we wrap around it does the work. This is good news, because while you often can't change what happens, you can examine the story. Is the traffic a disaster, or just traffic? Is the criticism an attack, or information? You don't have to force a cheerful spin. You just loosen the automatic verdict and look again. Today, when something upsets you, pause and ask what judgment you've added on top of the bare fact.

Inspired by the old idea of response not reaction. Written by Ugo Charles.