November 3, 2025- Intentional in our choices

Your emotions are only signals. And you get to decide how you respond to them.

~Arthur Brooks

Our emotions can be powerful. They trigger thoughts in our minds, reactions in our bodies, and feelings in our hearts. To allow the best version of ourselves to show up in an emotional moment, we must be willing to take those emotions as they are. Those emotions are not facts. They do not define the circumstances we are experiencing. They simply let us know how we are feeling about whatever it is we are observing.

When we allow our emotions to drive our choices, we tend to give in to impulse. Instead of pausing to consider what the best version of us would do in that moment, we are compelled to do what the current version of us wants to do. Every time we allow ourselves to be driven by impulse, it becomes easier for us to set aside reason. Practice makes permanent.

Life is not a game show in which we must smack the buzzer and answer quickly or lose our opportunity. We can pause. We can take a breath. We can allow time for reason to emerge from a sea of emotion, and we can be intentional in our choices.

Acknowledge your emotions, then reflect on why you’re feeling them. In that time of reflection, let the best of you show up.