Barack Obama said that to voters on the campaign trail for the US 2016 Presidential Elections. It is one of my favourite quotes.

When we encounter a situation that vexes us, our first instinct is to rant about it. It is easy to yell, harder to find a way to make a positive impact on the situation.

This doesn’t mean we should never vent our feelings. By all means, please do. It is important to get it out of the system. I have always found that a good cry clears my head. But make it less and less frequent with time. Build up your tolerance level. And the way to do that is to concentrate our thoughts and efforts on analysing the situation and thinking about what we can do to change it.

Focusing on actionable statements is an empowering feeling. It makes us feel more control over our predicament. In reality, we are exercising control over our response to the situation. I have found that a lot of things seem to lead us to back to Stephen Covey’s first habit.

So, don’t boo, act!