Limiting scripts — what I tell myself about myself — can serve to put and keep me on guard as I move from one set of circumstances to another set, as I set out to live my life each day. With this awareness I need to ask myself several questions. “Are my past circumstances spoiling my present circumstances?” Is Life Making me Bitter or Better — Is my Past Spoiling my Present?
In yesterday’s article, I spoke to replacing learned helplessness with hope. In today’s article, I would like to speak of what has helped me to overcome a sense of learned helplessness. To begin with, I would like to share something that has helped me tremendously.
Several years ago I wrote an article, Who is Limiting You?, which I would encourage you to read by clicking on this link: Who is Limiting You? In the article, I speak to a number of limiting scripts that kept me tied to a belief system that kept me in a defensive stance and led me to believe that I could do little more than endure what occurred in life.
I have not arrived, become zen like or untouched by these limiting scripts, but I am aware. I have come to also realize that when I find myself buying back into these limiting scripts I have forgotten that I have the ability to make different choices. Choices that give me the ability to consider other possibilities. By remembering that I have different choices, I am given the gift to look at and see my circumstances in a new and different way. Instead of seeing my circumstances as a nemesis and a way to undermine and keep me down — leaving me feeling helpless — I am able to see my circumstances as an opportunity to build me up, as I live my life.
What I mean by build me up is that I am able to see my circumstances as an opportunity to teach me lessons. Lessons that will give me the ability to learn about myself. Lessons that help to encourage, empower and lead me in the direction of my destiny. What I have subsequently learned, through seeing my circumstances in a different way; is that all things are working together for my good. With the change in my belief system came an understanding that adversity is merely a switch on the railroad of life, to point me in a different direction. A direction — a track — that I may not otherwise travel. A track that may not have otherwise seen.
A direction that will provide opportunities to learn lessons to equip me. Adversity has taught me that although I may have had my heart set on traveling down a different track in life, I do not have the big picture. Adversity has taught me that life is not being done to me, but for me. Adversity has taught me that life is setting me up, not setting me back. Adversity has taught me that everything that occurs in my life is part of the plan. Adversity has taught me that I can either become bitter or better by what happened or happens to me, as I live my life. Adversity has taught me that I always have a choice. Adversity has taught me that I need to choose wisely.
Adversity has taught me that becoming bitter or better is a choice. With that choice, I need to do the work to change my bitter into better. Adversity has taught me that I can change bitter… Adversity has taught me that I can change what is bitter to better to live an abundant life.
“I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson’s. I have nothing but choices about how I react to it. In those choices, there’s freedom to do a lot of things in areas that I wouldn’t have otherwise found myself in.” Michael J. Fox
“Regardless of your lot in life, you can build something beautiful on it.” Zig Ziglar
“It is not as important as what happened or happens to us, but how we respond to what happened or happens to us.” Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA
To read about what has helped me to move from being bitter to better in life, click on this link: Recovery and Hope
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