Have you guys ever been in a life tornado that leaves you thinking, “Why is this happening to me?!” And you’re feeling really sorry for yourself... First - this post does NOT apply to anyone in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, anywhere that is facing genocide and enduring horrendous acts against humanity. And in fact, I write this because I get so much strength when I see the people of Gaza. How they keep standing up over and over again, supporting each other, shining their light in the darkest times ❤️ If their spirits can persevere, so can mine. So... when I am getting in that place where I am feeling like life is happening to me, I have to remind myself to reclaim my power. I cannot control the world, but I can manage my response to it. We can let the difficult things that are happening in our life make us cold, hard, and shut off, which will affect the people around us - our family, friends, partners. Or we can make sure that cycle of pain stops with us. And have learned through therapy and transformational retreats, that if I want to change my life, I have to step out of victimhood (this was so triggering at first ahhh but once you come out your whole life changes). “Victim mode” looks like getting stuck in “Ugh why does this keep happening to me!” kind of thinking instead of taking accountability and making different choices.a And honestly, sometimes it’s so hard to come out of that because it really does seem like your whole world is falling apart and everything that could possibly go wrong, is going wrong. And we can fall into depression or anxiety and it feels hard to see the path forward. (If you’re in that place, have grace with yourself ❤️ Don’t try to change everything overnight or bully yourself into thinking/feeling differently. All you have to do is be willing to look at your situation differently.) I have learned over time that when I am in my dark place, I have a choice to make. I can choose to think that what is happening to me is actually happening FOR me in a way that I might not even see quite yet. We don’t know what God is putting in front of us to overcome ❤️ For example, you could get fired from your job, which feels awful, but then it pushes you into starting the business that you always wanted to start and you create your dream job! I always tell myself now that the things that are happening to me are meant to teach me something and reveal parts of myself to me. I choose to live life with my heart wide open and over and over again it leads me to the most incredible learnings, experiences, people, and places.