There are several sayings about what you do and how it affects you. “You are what you eat.” “You are what you think.” “What goes in must come out.” What goes around comes around.” I have found these saying to be true, to a point. These sayings pertain only to those things you can control – your food, your tongue, your demeanor. However, every person who has lived a single day on this planet knows there is a hefty amount that you cannot control.
The Cause and Affect
When I was first diagnosed with MS there was the initial shock but I never did have a “woe is me” moment. It did take some time to get used to it and I definitely had bouts of frustration. Yet I was determined to not mope about my new circumstance. To understand my attitude toward MS let me take you back a few years prior.
When things go well it’s hard to be angry but when things go wrong it can be hard to be happy. My life is no different. Two years prior to my diagnosis things were going well, both professionally and personally. I was content. Then things started to unravel. Certain personal fulfillments became unfulfilled, my work hours were cut causing financial hardships, and closely held friendships went to the wayside.
Having this trifecta happen at the same time caused frustration which came out in anger. In my anger I lashed out causing even more rift with people. For 8-12 months I lived in a state of frustrated anger. Near the end of those months I became very aware of my behavior. I realized that my reaction to those setbacks was toxic. After working out the frustration and anger I determined to never again react toxically to my circumstances, no matter how grave. My determination to react positively to circumstances kept me from a “woe is me” moment.
The Principle
In my journey through life I have learned a simple principle – your circumstance isn’t what makes you unique, it’s how you react to it that separates you from others. I might have MS but so do 400,000 other people in the US. However, how I decided to react to the diagnosis is what makes me 1 out of the 400,00. I might have MS but I am still blessed beyond measure. I can still run, I can still laugh, I can still enjoy life. I am blessed just to live in the US, even with all its problems. I am blessed to have a job, to have good friends, to simply have the opportunity to be a catalyst for good.
It is not just me that I have seen this principle at work. I have known people who were seriously injured in car wrecks who were determined to walk, to talk and to function normally. I have seen the principle at work in parents after the death of a child. To live life knowing it’s not fair, taking those circumstances you cannot control and reacting in a positive way is what living the blessed life is about. You cannot control much in this world but you can determine how you will react when things go bad. Set it in your mind to not be like so many others but be unique in your reactions to setbacks – live the blessed life.
Attempt it. Chance it. Try it. Get to It!