I saw a demonstration on the news the other night where a person was yelling, “ I am a victim!” You had to feel for her in that she was somehow scarred by a past experience but then I thought to myself, what a shame to identify yourself as a victim and to let that define you. I see this in my practice every day. Patients will identify a disease as “my”-my cancer, my arthritis, my MS.

In fact, my son was a victim of a hit and run where a car hit him while he was walking across the street and he broke his ankle. It was a tough way to start a semester! He was starting to identify as a victim and was fixating on the person who wronged him and getting them to pay the bills…

At that, I intervened and explained some principles that I believe in:

• Sometimes S*** happens! Fixating on what happened just keeps the negative event or disease alive.
• Karma exists. Do good and good will be attracted. Don’t worry about getting even, settling the score, or serving justice; put that energy into your own healing.
• Spend your energy where it counts! You only have so much energy so instead of wasting it on things you cannot control, focus on the things you can.

I guess it boils down to this-when health or an event presents you with a challenge that you did not deserve, are you going to waste your energy looking in the rear view mirror, essentially anchoring your happiness and health to the event? OR will you choose to learn from it, respond by raising up and improving your life from the lesson at hand? Dwelling on it keeps it alive. Learning from it can make you thrive!

It is frankly your choice to be the victim or the victor!

Yours in health,

Dr. Dan