How to be a Vic(k)tor
Your life is objective, but you experience it through a subjective lens. It’s easy to see a problem as an impassable barrier, but time and time again, individuals have shown us that hardship can be overcome and used as a springboard for growth. Take Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning. He spent years trapped inside a concentration camp, witnessing senseless deaths, his wife’s well-being uncertain. Rather than being a victim, he chose to help others by writing about his experiences. We have this opportunity with the struggles of our lives.
At the beginning of my third year of college, I tore my medial collateral ligament (MCL) during a preseason soccer match. Unfortunately, I chose to be a victim. Using crutches to get across the sprawling urban campus left me drenched in a pool of sweat, and I dropped multiple classes to recover. I didn’t leave the house for weeks at a time, feeling sad for myself, but I knew something had to change.
Tearing my MCL changed my mindset and compelled me to become an excellent student and youth mentor. Our response to pain can make or break us, and our growth can help us help others. Our pain does not kill us, but our interpretation does. Next time life throws a curveball at you (which it inevitably will), consider how you can use the experience to become your ideal self.
Thanks for sharing. Very motivating.