Discover The 90/10 Principle
DISCOVER THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE
Practice English with your teacher
Warm-up
Talk about these questions with your teacher.
선생님과 이야기해 보세요.
- The 90/10 principle claims we control 90% of our lives through our reactions. Think of a recent frustrating incident -- could a different reaction have changed the outcome?
- The passage uses a vivid chain-reaction scenario starting with spilled coffee. Have you ever experienced a small event that escalated into a terrible day because of your initial reaction?
Vocabulary
Listen and repeat after your teacher.
선생님을 따라 읽어보세요.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
Discover the 90/10 PrincipleWhat is this principle? Ten percent of life is made up of what happens to you. Ninety percent of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%.The other is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light, but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.
Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens when the next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize them for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table.
A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.
After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 (traffic line) away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home. When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of you reaction in the morning.
Why did you have a bad day?A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?The answer is D.You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reactedin those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You and your spouse kiss before you go to work. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.
Korean Trap! / 한국인 실수 교정
Common mistakes Korean speakers make.
한국인이 자주 하는 실수를 알아봅시다.
'react'는 자동사이므로 반드시 'to'가 필요합니다. 한국어 '상황에 반응하다'에서 '에'를 생략하는 실수를 자주 합니다. 'respond to', 'reply to'도 마찬가지입니다.
Discussion
Share your thoughts with your teacher.
선생님과 의견을 나눠보세요.
- The passage claims only 10% of life is beyond our control. Is this ratio realistic, or does it underestimate the role of systemic factors like poverty, discrimination, and illness?
- In the coffee-spill example, the father curses, scolds his daughter, and criticizes his spouse. Is this a character flaw, or a natural human reaction under stress?
- The passage implies that if you react calmly, negative chain reactions won’t occur. But can positive thinking truly prevent bad outcomes, or is this a form of victim-blaming?
- Korean culture places high value on emotional restraint (nunchi). Does this cultural trait make Koreans better at applying the 90/10 principle, or does it create different problems?
- If you could teach children one emotional regulation skill to apply this principle, what would it be?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: DISCOVER THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE
Level: Low Advanced (L.A)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!