Victim or Adventurer

"...he realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief or as an adventurer in quest of his treasure." (The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho)

I feel like I'm on an adventure. I'm thankful that right now I have the option to make choices which allow me to pursue the adventure, rather than sit still limited by my choices. Sometimes, though, it's all about how we look at things!

We all know plenty of people that spend most of their waking moments complaining about their lot in life. There's not enough money, they aren't being fulfilled in their job, their children drive them crazy, the list of complaints is interminable. Day after day the same things come out of their mouths. Victims.

I find that this type of thinking has increased exponentially in the last couple of decades. It's easier to complain and whine and hope that someone else will fix things for you than it is to take a step out, a step in faith, a step beyond the box.

Sometimes it isn't about changing the situation, it's about changing how we look at the situation. Sometimes it really is about changing the situation.

I'm fortunate. I've been given the opportunity to make some big changes in my life. But, I'm also 48 years old. I spent 20+ years in a job that could have killed me, but it didn't. Every day was an adventure. I know that to have followed all of my dreams, I would have had to set aside my concerns for my family and the responsibilities I had taken on. I chose to stick with them and try to not complain too loudly when the stress got out of control.

Victim or Adventurer. Which attitude will you take for the next few days of your life?