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Don\'t you see? We do not have to be so victimized by life, by people, by situations, by work, by our friends, by our love relationships, by our family, by our feelings, our thoughts, our circumstances, and ourselves. We are not victims. We do not have to be victims. That is the whole point!

We can own our power, wherever we are, wherever we go, whomever we are with. We do not have to stand there with our hands tied, groveling helplessly, submitting to whatever comes along. There are things we can do. We can speak up. Solve the problem. Use the problem to motivate ourselves to do something good for ourselves.

We can make ourselves feel good. We can walk away. We can come back on our terms. We can stand up for ourselves. We can refuse to let others control and manipulate us.

We can do what we need to do to take care of our selves. That is the beauty, the reward, the crown of victory we are given in this process. It is what it is all about!

If we can\'t do anything about the circumstance, we can change our attitude. We can do the work within: courageously face our issues so we are not victimized. We have been given a miraculous key to life.
We are victims no more unless we want to be. Freedom and joy are ours for the taking, for the feeling, for the hard work we have done.

<i>Today, I will remind myself as often as necessary that I am not a victim, and I do not need to be victimized by whatever comes my way. I will work hard to remove myself as a victim, whether that means setting and enforcing a boundary, walking away, dealing with my feelings, or giving myself what I need. Help me let go of my need to feel victimized.</i>

Melody Beattie ©


The issue is not whether or not you have that power, the issue is whether or not you use it.

Marianne Williamson

See this day with the awe it deserves. It is a blessing with no equal. Today is an opportunity, an adventure, a challenge, a glorious experience filled with enlightenment and wonder. How will you make the most of this grand existence which is condensed into the day you now behold? You can think. You can reason. You can move about. You can take action. And you can do all these things with a directed purpose. You can make a difference today. Though this day is awesome indeed, it\'s nothing compared to what you can make of it.

Ralph S. Marston, Jr.


â??Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.â??

Barbara Rose


We\'ve suppressed so much, so many parts of ourselves have been found unacceptable and frightening, that when these qualities arise we squash them down and tend to feel that this tangled mass is our \'hidden identity\'. Because these states of mind so conflict with our models, they become yet more bars in our cage. Each instance of suppression makes the cage smaller.

Steven Levine


\"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in oneâ??s life.\"

Dalai Lama


\"Each moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart.\"

Myla Kabat-Zinn