It seems that in the course of my lifetime, every so often all kinds of crap gets thrown my way. Not much I can do about that. It just happens. Now, imagine my surprise when I learned that instead of becoming all stinky myself, I can use it as fertilizer for growth!
Yup. A wise person once said that painful experiences can leave one either wounded or wise.
Well, that got my attention!! So much so that I whipped out my science glasses and did a little research. 🤓
The assertion is that there is not much (if anything) that I can do about most of the things happening to me or around me. But (But!) how I respond to what is happening is entirely up to me. In fact, it is the response that makes all the difference.
Aha!
Okay, so, what type of response outs me as wounded?
It’s when I
– assign blame,
– complain, or
– focus on the problem.
Yep. Whenever I react like that, I feel weak, depressed, wronged, and very much in pain.
Example anyone?
Faced with an unpleasant circumstance, my wounded self would throw up her hands and exclaim:
“What did I do to deserve this!?”
“Oh, no! Not again!”
“How in the world could that have happened!?”
Now, how would my response be if I were wise?
I would
– take accountability,
– accept, or
– seek a solution.
Yep. Whenever I am able to do that, I feel empowered, sober-minded, understanding, and sound.
Example:
A wise way to respond would be to shrug and say:
“I guess where wood is chopped, splinters must fall.”
“C’est la vie!”
“Ok, now what?”
Alrighty then. Now what? 😉
Brigitte Schneider
aka Little Ms. Socrates in the Making
Copyright © 2021, Brigitte Schneider. If you wish to quote text from this article contact the author by leaving a comment.
