E means event, R means response and O means outcome. It is an event Plus response is equal to outcome. For everybody the event is the same but their responses are different so the outcome is also different. You cannot control the event and the outcome is also not in your hand. What is in your hand is your response. If your response is good, the outcome will also be good. If your response to an event is negative the outcome will also be negative.
Learnings from Thomas Alva Edison:
One morning a 67 years old man’s neighbours rushed to his house to tell him that his 10-story building was burning out. The old man came out of his house and saw that his 10-story laboratory was burning to ashes. When he saw this, he was stunned but suddenly he started smiling. His 24 years son was standing beside him. He saw his father’s smiling face and asked his father – our property and hard work is burning and you are smiling? The father replied- yes, my dear of course but in the fire our mistakes also burned. The father asked his son- go and call his mother.
The son asked what the mother would do? The father replied let your mother see how beautiful the fire looks. In the same evening reporters asked the old man how he felt everything had burned. The old man said along with the property my mistakes also burned so I will start fresh. Do you know who the old man was? He was Thomas Alva Edison who invented the electric bulb. We cannot control events but we control our responses.
Learnings from Rama:
King Dashrath has decided that next morning his oldest son Ram will be the king of Ajodhya. In the early morning, on the day of coronation Dashrath mahamantri Sumanth called Rama and they both went to King Dashrath Palace. They saw the king was lying on the ground and her mother Kekai was sitting beside him.
Rama asked- mother please tell me what happened to the father? Kekai replied I asked for two boons from your father. one you will go for 14 years exile in the forest and second Bharat will be the king of Ajodhya. Ram replied, for the simple reason you are worried my dear father. And after that you know what happened. He could have reacted in another way also but he did not.
Learnings from Mahabharata:
Mahabharat happened because of an inappropriate response from Draupadi to Duryodhana at Indraprastha. Draupadi commented that the son of blind is also blind. Duryodhana took it as an insult and he was determined to take revenge. You all know what happened in the Mahabharata war.
In our lives one or other incident or events are happening and outcomes are based on our response. Some people are great, rich and prosperous because they have responded in a positive way whatever the events came in their lives. You cannot control events and outcomes; you can control only your response.
Bhagwan Krishna says in Geeta,
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौंतेय शीतोष्णसुखदु:खदा: |
आगमापयिनोsनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ||
It means happiness and distress are like the winter and summer seasons. It will appear and disappear. Intelligent people will not be affected by either of the two. He remains calm and cool and his every action is to perform his duty diligently. So, correct your response, not the events and do not worry about the outcomes.