I Am Not A Victim

[This is another take on a 2009 post of mine]

One of my favorite saying is, "I choose my attitude in every situation." I choose not to consider myself a victim.

I will date myself by remembering the old Timex commercials where the watch would go through some ridiculous situation that no watch should survive and then John Cameron would say, "Timex—It takes a licking, but keeps on ticking."

A little while back, there was an article in the Goodlife Zen titled, "Why Some People Thrive No Matter What Happens.” The guest author, Gail Brenner, commented, “The key to remaining resilient is to not identify yourself as a victim.”

The dictionary defines "resilient" as “recovering readily from adversity; rebounds easily.”

Ms. Brenner commented in her article, "Resilient people understand that anything can happen. They realize that the world is not fair and that difficult things can happen to the most wonderful people. They figure out how to pick themselves up and move forward. It might take a long time and happen in tiny increments, but the predominant movement is forward—toward living and not just existing."

Another key comment in the article was, "Being resilient means understanding that we cannot control what happens to us, but that we can control how we relate to what happens. We get to choose. We can carry around the tragic events of our lives, letting them color the way we view ourselves and the world, or we can prosper." 

"…People who are resilient accept what happened, but resist defining themselves by it."

The author mentioned a study that revealed several qualities of resilient people. “Resilience People have:

• Strong relationships with people who support, encourage, and reassure 
• The willingness to allow strong feelings – anger, grief, fear – without avoiding them 
• Confidence – an attitude of "I can," rather than "I can't" 
• Trust in oneself and one's abilities 
• The capacity to learn from life experiences” 

“Resilient people nurture themselves, and seek help when needed."

Photo: https://elixirconsulting.com.au