Moment of Impact

Recently I watched a movie (for those of you who know me this is not a shock in the slightest), but let me tell you, this movie was weird. Weirder than weird. It was one of those movies that makes you think and you have no idea what you are thinking about until three days later. And then it hit me. I should write a blog post about one of the main concepts from the movie in order to organize my thought. So here I will do just that.

Your life is marked by a small number of moments of impact. It is these moments of impact that change our lives, either for the good or the bad. But ultimately, it is those few moments. The main character of the movie continued on to explain that the moments of impact are what is most important. Those are the days you remember and the days you cherish/hate. Those are what "determine" the outcome of your life.

I don't know that I necessarily agree with the main character. If I was defined by the impact moments of my life, I feel that I would be a very shallow person. Based on this theory, you might be a very angry or hurt person. Based on this theory, you could be a lot of things that you aren't.

I like to think that we are defined and changed by the way that we react to these moments of impact. It's our attitude, our thoughts, and our feelings toward the event. Yes, you may have a huge physical change or emotional scar after the moment of impact, but you still get to choose how you respond.

Recently in my classroom of elementary students, we had a discussion about how important it is that we respond to each other with respect and love. I was teaching it to those students and I am preaching it to you. Even if in the situation you are responding to yourself with respect and love, give yourself that much.

So as you may be experiencing, or have recently experienced, a moment of impact, challenge yourself to think and consider what your reaction will be. Will it be of respect and love? Will you choose how it effects your life?