Today, I was inspired by an article; "Character Counts - Curing Your Victimitis," by Michael Josephson.  A thought-provoking post and certainly one that can apply to every aspect of our lives and real estate business.  Pay close attention to the 'pearls of wisdom' in the first paragraph.  Thanks for the Monday morning inspiration Michael!

Watch your thoughts they lead to attitudes.  Watch your attitudes; they lead to words.  Watch your words they lead to actions.  Watch your actions; they lead to habits.  Watch your habits; they form your character.  Watch your character; it determines your destiny.

These words of unknown origin tell us that our silent and often subconscious choices shape our future. Every aspect of our lives, at home and at work, can be improved if we use our power to think, reflect and make conscious choices about our thoughts, attitudes, words, actions and habits.

Instead, many of us think of ourselves as victims. We complain about our circumstances and what others did to us. Whatever psychological comfort there is in feeling powerless and blameless when things aren't going right, victims lead unsatisfied lives in the end.

We're most vulnerable to victimitis when we're under the influence of powerful emotions like fear, insecurity, anger, frustration, grief and depression. These feelings can be so overwhelming that we believe our state of mind is inevitable. Our only hope is that they'll go away on their own. Yet it's during times of emotional tumult that using our power to choose our thoughts and attitudes is most important. We can't make pain go away, but we can refuse to suffer.

Even when we don't like our choices, we at least have some.  It isn't always easy to take control of your circumstances, but what we do and how we choose to feel about ourselves can have a profound impact on the quality of our lives. Victims may choose to bask in sympathy for awhile, but it will only produce a momentary and fleeting comfort.  

Taking personal responsibility for our happiness and success can be scary, but the payoff is enormous. While we can't make our lives perfect, we can make them better - and, usually a lot better!  Choose to be a victim or choose to be victorious... it's still a choice, and it's yours to make!