Sentence 1:
“He irritates me with his high pitched voice.”
Sentence 2:
“I get irritated when I hear his high pitched voice.”
Both these sentences are describing the same situation.
But there is a difference in the meaning.
The difference lies in owning your reaction.
The first sentence implies that the other person is doing something which is irritating you and you have no control over the situation. You are the victim.
The second sentence implies that you react to the trigger of the person’s voice and the reaction is something that is inherently yours.
In most situations when we react to something, we tend to place the blame on the trigger, when in reality all triggers are our own.
They come from our experiences, beliefs and intentions.
This is why someone else in the same situation would react differently.
When you start owning your reaction you also have a choice to change them.
You also have the option to take control of the situation.
What are some situations where you could take more ownership of your reactions?