We All Have The Choice to Live Life Differently

I am listening to The Gift, 12 Lessons to Save Your Life by Edith Eger. Edith is a Holocaust survivor and a specialist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. I found her book through Brené Brown.

She opens her first chapter with this “In my experience victims ask ‘Why me?’, survivors ask ‘What now?’. Suffering is universal, but victimhood is optional.”

This struck a chord with me. As a young child I found myself literally standing between my parents while they fought, yelled and sometimes were physical with each other. Conflict became part of my life. I had no clue how I managed to not be sucked into my mother’s depression and victimhood. Until I read the above.

I realized I have never asked myself ‘Why me? Why do I have to be the one acting like an adult?’ Why do I have these screwed up parents?’

My question was intuitively the “What now?” because I wanted peace, I wanted love and I wanted forgiveness. I wanted to figure out how to move my mother out of her anger, regret, and disappointment in her life (and in me). I felt like if I could just figure out what to do next, she would become happy.

Every child wants her mother to be happy. I wanted her to be happy and instead of feeling hopeless and powerless to choose to live life differently.

Interestingly yet not coincidently, this is my business’ tagline today: Choose to live life differently.

We all have the power to choose a different way. The choice is available to all of us.

What are you asking yourself: ‘Why me?’ or ‘What now?’