“It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life, it’s how you handle what happens to you.”
–Jon Acuff
“Life’s not fair.” Did anybody else parents say this to them growing up?
Any time one of us kids would begin to complain Mom would respond with, “Well, life’s not fair.” I never understood this phrase because any time I had it said to me I would think, “See you get it so why aren’t you on my side? The very fact that life is not fair in this current situation is why I am complaining.”
Then I grew up and became a parent. And yes, I did immediately begin to quote this phrase to my kids.
But now I understand it from a different perspective. I no longer hear it as “Suck it up! You aren’t the only person in the world who has been in this situation.”
I have come to understand that life really is not fair. Life is hard and will absolutely roll over you. But starting with this mindset helps me face the crappy situations because they don’t come as a surprise. Rather they are the norm. So when something good happens, it’s a nice surprise for which I am truly grateful.
Just because life isn’t always fair doesn’t mean you will never win. It’s not about what happens but how you handle it.
Will you handle life as a winner or a victim?