“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
NOTE: I have a friend who has an addiction. My friend’s addiction is clear to those who love him. It is not clear at all to my friend. He claims he can handle his addiction. His addiction is now affecting him physically. He refuses to see the association between his addiction and his physical problems. He sets up a protective wall around himself that only those who act co-dependently can enter. He’s at a crossroads in his life. As Frankl points out, he is being challenged to change himself. Each of us will find ourselves in situations we cannot change. We can fight those situations and find ourselves increasingly frustrated or we can turn our attention inwards and ask, “How can I change what I am doing now so that I end the suffering I am imposing on myself and act in ways that will improve my life?”