There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.
Denis Waitley
MEANING OF THIS QUOTE
Our default reaction to problems is that we start complaining about how unfair life is. Interestingly, the more we entertain such negative thoughts, the more overwhelming the situation feels. Ultimately, we are completely focused on the problem, when we should have been looking into the solutions. Interestingly, this perennial whining means that we neither accept the situation as it is, nor take up the responsibility for changing it. Unfortunately, those are the only two ways to go about it. Anything else simply breeds dissatisfaction.
BUT… WHY?
Because that’s just how life is. Expecting life to be a bed of roses is impractical, to say the least. Any worthwhile endeavor entails its fair share of hardships. You need to face the music if you are to make it big. In fact, in one way, it is important for you to do so, for these challenges not only impart valuable life lessons along the way, but also make our accomplishments all the more memorable. Keeping that in mind, complaining about them hardly gets you anywhere. Ideally, you should stand back up and re-strategize to achieve your objectives. If that, however, feels like a mountain too high to climb, then the very least you can do for your peace of mind is accept the situation and console yourself with how far you have come. Unfortunately, though, most people take the middle path – they keep blaming their fate and everything else until their minds are filled with bitterness toward everyone and everything in general.
CONCLUSION
We always have the power to regain control of our lives. That we do it by trying to change the circumstances or making peace with them hardly matters so long as one is content with where they are.
Denis Waitley is an American motivational speaker and author. Renowned for bestsellers like Seeds of Greatness and The Winner’s Edge, Waitley once wrote: “There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”