Scott Peck, starts his book “The Way Less Travelled,” by saying that life is difficult. We need to accept this unequivocally and get on with it. It perhaps sounds a bit harsh, but the reality is that it can be challenging and very painful at times.
Too many people err when life throws them a curve ball by falling into the “victim trap.” Instead of taking charge and seek possible constructive ways to deal with hard things, it becomes a matter of “Poor me… Why me?” Joost van der Westhuizen learned through his suffering to ask “Why not me?”
When we play the victim role we fail to take personal responsibility and to own our problems. It is the “fault” of others rather than ourselves that are to blame and required to sort out our challenges. Sometimes we hold an attitude of learned helplessness.
In The Door in the Wall,” author Marguerite de Angeli wrote that “He had found out that the harder it was to do something, the more comfortable he felt after he had done it.” Hard things are opportunities to exercise our mental muscles.
Practical exercise:
How applicable is the above argument to your life? Where have you managed to overcome?
