In my hometown, when I was growing up, the carnival came once a year. It was quite an event I was terrified of roller coasters and completely scared of heights.
One time, a relative of mine pretty much forced me to get on the Ferris wheel. I screamed so hard they had to stop it. I think I was having an anxiety attack. It was scary and VERY embarrassing.
Sometimes life can seem like a scary roller coaster. There are ups and downs and voids and jumps. Sometimes someone along our ride seems to talk us into doing something we did not want to.
But … did they really?
Did they have a gun to our heads?
And, if our character is unshakable, could a loaded gun influence our choices?
No matter how soon they stopped “that thing”, no matter how hard I screamed, the deal was already done. It was an experience I will never forget.
When we make mistakes, it is easy to blame someone else. Maybe they did influence us or even push us, but ultimately, the choice was ours. When we blame others, we give up the power to change, to grow and to evolve.
What to do? Here’s the A, B, C, D…
Admit it
Be sorry
Correct it
Don’t do it again.
Pretty simple, yet quite hard.
The next step is to ask “WHY”; not in the whiny sense of it, but with a spirit of discovery:
Why did we have this experience?
What was the lesson in it?
How can we apply it in other areas or circumstances of our lives
Taking responsibility for our actions, even if influenced by others, is a big step.
An even bigger step is to evaluate how our peer group can be affecting our reputation in the short term and our character in the long term.
After all, they say it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.
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