{"id":29089,"date":"2018-11-16T20:52:33","date_gmt":"2018-11-17T03:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/?p=29089"},"modified":"2023-02-24T10:03:11","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T17:03:11","slug":"playing-victim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/playing-victim\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Playing the Victim and Take Control of Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a species, we are powerful. Short of time-travel or teleportation, everything that we have fantasized or conceptualized has come or will come to fruition. It can be debated that we are where we are today as a result of creativity, ingenuity, and intelligence. I certainly wouldn\u2019t argue against this \u2013 it\u2019s definitely true. However, I do believe that there is another resounding quality of man that has catapulted us to where we are in history: perseverance and mental toughness.<\/p>\n

Without launching into any sort of history lesson, I can tell you that man has constantly and repeatedly faced trial and tribulation and we have never succumbed or faltered. Whether it\u2019s a global tragedy or a single man\u2019s shortcomings, we have and will continue to face hardships and setbacks. Time and time again we have stared adversity in the face, brushed them off as temporary setbacks, and came back stronger than before. This quality of man makes us ultimately and unlimitedly powerful. We always bounce back. We don\u2019t make excuses. We always stand up if we fall.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this quality of our species doesn\u2019t necessarily define all of its individuals.<\/p>\n

Your Thoughts vs. Your Reality \u2013 You Are Your Biggest Enemy
\n<\/em><\/h3>\n

I believe that (each individual) man is unlimitedly powerful. Rather, I believe that we all have the potential to be powerful. I believe that the foundation of our abilities rests not within our bodies but within our minds. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard the adage: \u201cif you can see it, you can be it\u201d. If this is true, then the opposite must be true as well: \u201cif you can\u2019t see it then you certainly can\u2019t be it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Warning: I\u2019m Going to Rant<\/em><\/p>\n

This rant applies to those who have fallen victim to the latter. Our minds, the source of our strength, can also be the pit of our demise. That is, if we allow it to be.<\/p>\n

Some people are weak. No, I\u2019m not referring to physical strength. I\u2019m referring to mental strength. Some people are victims of their own minds. Some people are victims of their circumstances. Some people are victims. Period. It\u2019s never their fault \u2013 their misery is always the result of someone else\u2019s actions or wrong-doings. This mindset is very inhibiting and very toxic. However, it\u2019s very easy \u2013 it\u2019s the path of least resistance. If it\u2019s not your fault then there\u2019s nothing you can do about it and\u2026 you won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

People of this mindset wake up every single morning trapped in a metaphoric jail that is their mind. How many times have you heard someone exclaim \u201cI can\u2019t\u201d or \u201cit\u2019s too hard\u201d before they even try? A very wise man named Confucius once said: \u201che who says he can and he who says he can\u2019t are both usually right.\u201d So why is it that some people limit themselves? Personally, I\u2019ll never understand.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a shortlist of \u201cI can\u2019ts\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s too hards\u201d that I\u2019ve recently heard:<\/p>\n

\u2013 I can\u2019t resist [insert junk food]<\/p>\n

\u2013 I can\u2019t make time to read<\/p>\n

\u2013 It\u2019s too hard to meal prep<\/p>\n

\u2013 It\u2019s too hard to eat healthy<\/p>\n

\u2013 I can\u2019t wake up in the morning<\/p>\n

\u2013 I can\u2019t make time for exercise<\/p>\n

You\u2019re right. With that mentality, you can\u2019t and you won\u2019t \u2013 it\u2019s too damned hard.<\/p>\n

And the Excuses\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Append any of the above with the words \u2018because [insert reason]\u2019 and you\u2019ve got yourself an excuse. Making excuses is just\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0easy. Too many of us make excuses as to why we can\u2019t do things. If you have fallen victim to this mindset, you need to find reasons why you\u00a0should<\/em>\u00a0be doing these things.<\/p>\n

\u2013 I\u00a0can\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0find the time to read \u2013 I\u00a0should<\/strong>\u00a0find the time to read because it will help in my personal growth and development.<\/p>\n

\u2013 I\u00a0can\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0make time for exercise because work has been too busy \u2013 I\u00a0should<\/strong>\u00a0make time to go to the gym because I always feel great after going and it helps me relieve stress<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all in your mind. It begins and ends with that internal dialogue.<\/p>\n

Keep it to Yourself
\n<\/em><\/h3>\n

If you insist on crippling yourself and living an unmotivated life, please keep it to yourself. Don\u2019t drag others down in an attempt to boost yourself up. Don\u2019t crush their efforts or their dreams because they believe in themselves. Don\u2019t sap their energy because you can\u2019t match their spirit. It\u2019s ignorant and it\u2019s childish. Your negativity needs to be locked and kept away from others. It should bring you no satisfaction to deflate others. If it does, you\u2019ve got a serious problem.<\/p>\n

If you happen to be on the receiving end of this negativity and you have people in your life who are constantly dragging you down, remind yourself that what they say or think doesn\u2019t matter \u2013 pay it any mind. If their negativity begins to weigh you down too much, there comes a time when you have to make a very tough decision \u2013 sink or cut the dead weight.<\/p>\n

Take Ownership \u2013 Be Accountable<\/h3>\n

Stop blaming others because, if you continue to do so, your circumstances will never get better. Sure, it may give you temporary relief or pleasure to convince yourself that someone else is to blame for your unhappiness and misery. Believe me, it\u2019ll come full circle. That relief or pleasure will eventually fade when you realize days, weeks, months, or years down the road that your circumstances are still the same, the people you once blamed are long gone, and you have no one to blame. No one but you!<\/p>\n

End rant<\/em><\/p>\n

I digress. I know that I\u2019ve made this sound overwhelmingly negative. But, it doesn\u2019t have to be \u2013 the opposite holds true as well! Personally, I blame myself for all of my shortcomings but also credit myself for all of my achievements. Why wouldn\u2019t I? I have the tools and the resources necessary to dictate whether I succeed or fail. It\u2019s simply a matter of developing the mental strength to wield these tools into the battlefield of life.<\/p>\n

Down for the Count?<\/h3>\n

Throughout your life, you will stumble and you will fall \u2013 it\u2019s inevitable. No, I\u2019m not talking about clumsily tripping over your shoelaces. I\u2019m talking about hitting one of life\u2019s inevitable roadblocks. Hitting these roadblocks does not define you \u2013 how you react to them does. You can choose to perceive them as failures, give up, and never try again or you can perceive them as temporary setbacks, find your bearings, and try again. I implore you to choose the latter.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let your past dictate who you are \u2013 let your present dictate who you will become. My favorite speaker, Les Brown, said: \u201cWhen life knocks you down, try and land on your back. Because, if you can look up, you can get up\u201d. There really aren\u2019t many setbacks in life that are truly dire enough to keep you down for the 10-count. Persevere, get up, and fight.<\/p>\n

Ask someone you deem to be \u201csuccessful\u201d and they\u2019re sure to tell you that they\u2019ve faced their fair share of setbacks. They\u2019ve simply learned how to pick themselves up when they stumble and fall.<\/p>\n

Stop whining. Stop complaining. No one wants to hear it. You are a victim of yourself and no one else. Stop making excuses and rid yourself of the \u201cI can\u2019t\u201d mentality. Perhaps you should tattoo a map on your body because you and you alone are responsible for your mental prison break.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a species, we are powerful. Short of time-travel or teleportation, everything that we have fantasized or conceptualized has come or will come to fruition. It can be debated that we are where we are today as a result of creativity, ingenuity, and intelligence. I certainly wouldn\u2019t argue against this \u2013 it\u2019s definitely true. However,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":41270,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[255],"tags":[461,460],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/387"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29089"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41271,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29089\/revisions\/41271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}