Families aren't choices. It's how we respond to the relationship conflicts inside our families that is the choice. Sometimes I want to be the big brother instead of the little one. Sometimes I wish I had younger parents. Sometimes I fantasize that I'm an only child. But I can't change these things. They are things outside of myself, outside the realm of my control. I can only control a few things, but those things are what truly determine the happiness that I have with my family and other relationships.

Since I don't have a mental illness and nobody in my life is trying to make me their slave, I can control how I respond to anything. People are going to put me down. People are going to tell me that I can't do something because of who I am. People are going to laugh at me, trick me, and push me around. People will talk behind my back, they will stereotype me. They will think that I'm selfish, lazy, and that I feel sorry for myself too much. It's inevitable. With about sixty billion other people, it's really arrogant for me to think that I can fly through life with little conflict. People are going to do all these things to me, and I determine the outcome of my fate by how I react to all this negativity.

Is the journey to inner peace the same for everybody? Actually, I think in a way that it is. We all have different struggles, but when we look at a close friend or family member, we should be able to easily list ten things that are easier for them to deal with and ten things that are harder for them to deal with. No matter how difficult something is, if we respond to it in a way that doesn't harm us or others, we'll come out strong. I don't know if the cliché, Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger is totally correct. I think it should be, How we respond to difficult situations effects the amount of goodness in our lives.

Most of us are able to get by, but I also think that most of us do the bare minimum. If we weren't so afraid of our greatness, we'd accomplish so much more. When I write a paper for school, I'm not afraid that it's gonna suck. I'm afraid that it's going to be so well-written that people will think I'm egotistical or trying to be the professor's pet.

The answer to many of life's problems is simply to stop thinking, stop wishing, and start living. We know what to do in many circumstances, even the hard ones. That isn't the problem. The problem is gathering enough courage to take the necessary action. Are you up to the challenge?

© Sam Leonard
Life Channels Staff Writer
All Rights Reserved

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