<\/p>\n
Friend Webster, (my favorite author) says the word \u201cvictim\u201d means one subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment.\u00a0 On the other hand the word \u201csurvivor\u201d means to continue to function or prosper despite hardships or challenges.\u201d Personally, I like the idea of being a survivor better than being a victim. \u00a0I worked hard to get where I am and I don\u2019t intend to lose the ground I\u2019ve gained. It\u2019s been a struggle; at times I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d make it. But today my life is healthy in all of the six dimensions: emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, socially and financially. Does that mean I don\u2019t\u2019 have any challenges. Heck no. That\u2019s what life\u2019s all about. But I have the tools to make healthy choices and have a positive attitude about any difficulties that come my way.<\/p>\n
Too often I find people (sometimes it\u2019s me) who dive right into negativity whenever anything comes up that is less than pleasant. There\u2019s plenty of clever sayings to head you in a different direction: The only thing that\u2019s the end of the world is the end of the world, Tough times don\u2019t last but tough people do, Something will turn up, I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet, <\/em>and so on. We need to remind ourselves that attitude is everything. We always have a choice and that choice defines our mettle.<\/p>\n I have many friends who post on my Facebook page; some of them are living through troubled times. The old saying about \u201cAccentuate the positive, eliminate the negative,\u201d makes good common sense. If you have a choice and think the worst, The sky is falling in\u201d, <\/em>as Chicken Little said in the children\u2019s book may make us a drama queen (or king) but do we really want that? A humorous verse comes to mind:<\/p>\n Twixt the optimist and pessimist,<\/em><\/p>\n The difference is droll,<\/em><\/p>\n The optimist sees the doughnut,<\/em><\/p>\n But the pessimist sees the hole.<\/em><\/p>\n Personally, I\u2019d rather see the doughnut. Prayer, positive thoughts and sayings, being in a healthy environment, having had a good night\u2019s sleep, accomplishment, meditation, being with people who love you, all create a being who has a better chance of surviving in this sometimes troubled world.<\/p>\n So how do we make sure that we are thinking with our survivor hat on and not our victim hat? If your day starts turning sour and you find that one problem turns into another and another, which happens to all of us, how do you keep it from getting that way in the beginning. Sometimes we react instead of responding. This is going to slide us right into a victim mode. We call a friend to see if they can get together with you this weekend and your friend is in a bad mood and rudely cuts you off. Instead of responding and saying, \u201cYou must be having a tough day, can I do anything to help? Maybe we can talk later when you\u2019re feeling better,\u201d You react and say, \u201cWhat the devil is wrong with you? You\u2019re acting like an asshole.\u201d Whoops! This is not going to make things better.<\/p>\n And speaking of friends. Hanging out with people who are winners, who have a positive attitude and face challenges with courage is much better than having people who are losers in your circle. Sometimes the smallest event can seem catastrophic; but to others a major event is a challenge. I\u2019m using the word challenge, a stimulating task or problem, (define your terms) a lot for a reason. Power words make a huge difference in your life. Substituting \u201ccan do\u201d for \u201ccan\u2019t\u201d is a small but energizing verbiage. Sometimes having the discipline to keep your eye on what your goal is can make a huge difference. For example: You\u2019re in college working towards a Masters Degree in history. The classes are numerous, the homework is awesome but you have this dream. Some day you want to be a Historian, to teach college classes on this, to write books about the Civil War, to research important historical events. Your friends call and want you to join them when they go out for the night to party. There\u2019s a major test tomorrow and you know studying tonight means the difference between a good grade and a bad grade in your class. Do you want to be a victim whining tomorrow about getting a bad grade when it”isn\u2019t your fault\u201d? Or do you want to take \u201cthe road less traveled\u201d and be disciplined about what you really want. That\u2019s the attitude of a survivor.<\/p>\n Stop whining! Start confronting life with all of its troubles. Remember, What you fear, you empower.\u201d <\/em>And most important, Destructive emotion is one of the primary causes of disease.<\/em> Get going! I\u2019ll meet you at the finish line.<\/p>\n