When I’m troubled by another person’s behavior, a complicated situation, or a disappointing turn of events, Al-Anon reminds me that I don’t have to take it personally. I’m not a victim of everything that happens unless
I choose to see myself that way. Though things don’t always go my way, I can accept what I cannot change, and change what I can. Perhaps I can take a different view of my problems. If I accept them at face value without taking them personally, I may find that they are not problems
at all, only things that have not gone as I would have liked. This change of attitude can help free me to evaluate the situation realistically and move forward constructively.
Today’s Reminder
Blaming my discomfort on outside events can be a way to avoid facing the real cause—my own attitudes. I can see myself as a victim, or I can accept what is happening in my life and take responsibility for my response. I may be guided to take action or to sit still, but when I listen to the guidance of my Higher Power I will no longer be the victim of my circumstances.
“God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how.”
Henry Ward Beecher