People Are Who They Want To Be
Choice isn't always a matter of being able to choose what
happens to us. Life happens, and often without any say from us.
However, our circumstances do not determine who we become. Only
we have the choice to determine that. Everyone is who he or she
wants to be, regardless of what one might think. We all have
choices and each choice leads to the creation of who we are.
There is a great quote that states, "Everybody's a self-made
man; but only the successful ones are ever willing to admit
it.". It does seem that we are more than willing to take credit
for the success we have become in life, but less willing to own
the areas where we are not so successful. The credit for those
areas that are not so perfect seem to be reserved for our
childhood, parents, a bad boss, spouse and on and on. However,
in the end only, we can determine how the people and events in
our lives will affect us. We can let them drag us down or we can
use them as building blocks for a strong personal foundation.
One only has to read the stories of successful people to know
that adversity seems to be a common denominator of those who
made it. Few successful people had success handed to them on a
platter. Most worked, struggled and experienced their share of
failures. What is different about these people is that they
didn't let these adversities get in their way. They actually
used adversity to build on. They turned their stumbling blocks
into a paved highway to a better life.
It all boils down to choice. It isn't what happens to you that
matters as much as what you do with what happens to you that
makes the difference. We have all met with disappointments,
failures and challenges. The difference is some people let those
events stop them while others use them to build a bridge and
move on.