SHED THE VICTIM MENTALITY | GNOMIC Motivation

January 24, 2022

The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was once supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?” The first worker replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.” The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.” But the third worker said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals”.

Life can be tough sometimes, so tough we oftentimes become paralyzed by our immediate circumstances and fears. As a result, we fail to recognize the untold opportunities that lie ahead of us. It is said that life is how you make it, but what you see affects what you make.

We may not be able to change the circumstances life doles out to us. We can however change how we react to those circumstances. Instead of seeing ourselves as victims of our unfortunate conditions (which fuels complacency and a querulous attitude), we can take a more responsible approach of taking action to change those conditions — of persisting in our efforts to excel and ultimately succeed. The only way we do not succeed is if we give up. The choice is ultimately ours — whether to succeed or not.