5. DON’T PLAY THE VICTIM CARD
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of yourself, but define yourself.” ~ Harvey S. Firestone
I wish to recall a conversation I had with an old friend several years ago. It was a particularly difficult period in my life. I was in a deep depression, struggling to cope with an impending bankruptcy, my divorce, and past issues I had failed to address, which were now having a very adverse effect on my well-being.
John, my friend, whom I had not seen for some time, asked me how life was treating me — it was a conversation which I will never forget. It went something like this…
John: “Hi, mate. Long time no see. How’s life treating you?”
Me: “Awful, to be honest, John. Life is crap. Everything is going wrong. I wish I had someone else’s life.”
John: “Swap you!”
Me: “Don’t be daft. You have a great life. You’re loaded — plenty of cash, great house, you’ve even got that villa in Florida. Why on earth would you want to swap me for all my problems?”
John: “I’ve got cancer, mate. I’ve been having treatment for ages.”
What could I say? I was speechless — I felt physically sick. I had made a total fool of myself, wallowed in self-pity, played the victim card.
I never saw my friend again, I can only hope that he made a full recovery, returned to his former glory. I remember the conversation though, as if it were only yesterday. It was a defining moment which helped change my perspective, helped me throw away my victim card. I faced my problems, my issues, and my illness — and beat them, eventually.
I made a full recovery because I refused to let my self-loathing destroy my life. I sought the help of my close friends, a good counsellor, and more importantly, my closest ally…ME!
“I had no shoes and complained, until I met a man with no feet.” ~ Indian Proverb
* Stop feeling sorry for yourself
* There is ALWAYS someone willing to swap
* Face your problemsONLY $2.99 / £1.99 from ALL major eBook retailers
No comments:
Post a Comment