|  Blog Post   |  Are You Reacting Rather Than Responding to Your Life?

Are You Reacting Rather Than Responding to Your Life?

For years I have talked with clients about choosing to not live their lives from a place of fearFear is often something we suffer through, push down, numb out and allow to hold us back and dim our light.

Consciously living my life, practicing my recovery, I choose every day to live my life from a place of love and not fear. Some days this work is easy, some days it feel nearly impossible.

Through this work I have also discovered that this has everything to do with how I connect with the people in my life and the world.

The difference between responding and reacting

When we react we come from a place of fear.

When we respond we come from a place of love.

My work in ever upward includes making sure I live everything and every day from the place of love. It is making sure I respond and not react.

Reacting

Before the work of my recovery, before surviving IVF, I reacted to my life.

And, I reacted a lot.

I used to be called angry. To which I angrily replied that I was just passionate. But, now as I live the work and practice of recovery, I now have the language.

I was living my life from the place of fear.

The place of never being good enough.

The place of always comparing myself to others.

The place of I’m too much, you don’t love it and I don’t love it, and therefore I am scared of it.

Responding

After the work, especially in the last year of my recovery, which includes The Daring Way™ work, I have learned that this reacting doesn’t truly honor who I am or who I want to be.

I am passionate. I am determined. I am ever upward.

And, this means actively choosing to live from a place of love. It means actively choosing to respond.

When I respond to my life, rather than react…

I will always be enough.

I won’t need to compare because I am incomparable.

And, my too much is exactly just right.

An intention of wholeheartedness

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Some may think reacting and responding look the same to the outside person. However, I think if we really make this choice to live from a place of love and to respond to our lives rather than to live from a place of fear and to react to our lives what we put into the world will be a much more accurate picture of who we are and who we want to be. In the least, I know my intention between the two feels completely different to me. Living my life from a place of love means I move through the fear and I don’t live from it. It means I am living with the intention of wholeheartedness and moving ever upward.

And, I promise, no I guarantee, only amazing things can be born of that.

~~~~

Housekeeping

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Author:

A Licensed Professional Counselor, Justine Froelker has over 25 years of experience in mental health, personal growth, and professional development. For eleven years, she was certified in Dr. Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability, courage, and empathy. Justine now shares her own curriculum, Courage is Built Here™. This transformative program empowers individuals to live and lead with self-awareness, authenticity, and resilience, building a foundation for courage-centered leadership. In addition to writing her blog since 2013, Justine is an accomplished author of twelve books—including five Amazon bestsellers—Justine has written across genres, from children’s books to in-depth explorations of infertility, faith, grief, and leadership. She has delivered two TEDx Talks, The Permission of the And and The Donut Effect, which highlight her unique perspective on navigating life’s complexities with grace. Justine is a sought-after speaker who travels nationally and presents virtually to global audiences, delivering keynotes, workshops, retreats, and trainings on topics such as leadership, resilience, mental health, coping with burnout, courageous and curious conversations, and fostering cultures of inclusion and belonging. Justine lives in St. Louis with her husband Chad and their two dogs, Gertie and Winston. You’ll often find her volunteering at Wild Bird Rehabilitation—supporting the medical team and feeding hundreds of tiny, hungry babies during baby bird season. And during butterfly season, her home comes alive with the flutter of wings as she raises hundreds of monarch and swallowtail butterflies.

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