Reaction

The first Formula 1 and IndyCar races of the season were this past weekend. I had the experience of spending a weekend in St. Pete to watch the speed and power of IndyCars in person. After watching both of these sports it is quite apparent the strength of these machines, but the more impressive feat are the reaction speeds and capabilities of the human drivers. They react as if they are one with the car, as if the machine is an extension of their own body. When car and driver are completely synced up it bypasses the confines of sport and morphs into a version of artistic expression.

Life has different types of reactions. In sport, life-or-death situations, and other extreme cases, the best reactions come where we do not have to think, where we just act. In these cases, thinking slows us down. This is the world that the race car drivers live in. They are in near-constant states of flow and simply react, with no questioning or other emotions. This world exists in the split-second bounds of sports but outside of sports and other extreme cases, it is assumed most of our real reactions can be slowed down and processed, at least briefly.

While the reaction times of the drivers are nearly unparalleled across industries, everyone has their own reactions. Our reactions, like our decisions, have consequences. If we react too rashly, in knee-jerk ways, or with our ego, we have the potential to act in ways we will regret. Taking a few moments to collect ourselves and process what has occurred generally sets us up to react in more positive ways. Reactions are similar to our attitude and effort because we are oftentimes in full control of what we do. Our reactions are different than our attitude and effort because these decisions come more from external stimuli than internal emotion. How we react to life provides us the opportunity to process and advance from what has occurred.

Emotionally charged reactions are generally also reactions that we can regret. Our reactions shape our world and as such, should be treated much closer to decisions than anything. With any reaction we take there are outcomes that result. We should want to act in a way where our reactions cause the least amount of sustained resistance. For example, instead of immediately snapping back at someone, with an emotionally charged reaction, who said something provoking to us, we can pause and choose to de-escalate the situation.

We are not race car drivers or in environments on a daily basis where split-second reactions are needed. We should aim to react after taking a few breaths, collecting our thoughts, and then selecting a path forward. By not regretting our reactions, we will be able to act more effectively.