I write this blog on the day of my Mother In-Law's passing — the journey of life and death fresh on my mind.
May her memory be for a blessing.
(Thanks to Jeff Lams for helping to flesh this out)
On this journey of life, each one of us will receive a "call to adventure."
This call is some kind of challenge to your status quo. It might be an extreme crisis, or it could simply be a disappointment that things aren't going your way.
You can refuse that call and become a Victim.
Or you can say yes and become a Hero.
Look at Sarah Tueting. In her podcast episode, she shared about an unfathomable tragedy when she discovered that her babies had been abused. She was shocked, devastated, and knocked down. After allowing herself to go through the range of emotions, she eventually arrived at this insight:
Yes, Evil had injured her babies.
But, Evil would continue to injure them long-term if she didn't cut off its power.
That's when she said yes to the Hero's Journey.
But, what if she had said yes to the Victim's Journey? Imagine if she used her status as a legal victim to become an emotional victim for the rest of her life?
Let's do a side by side comparison. In this examination, let's say that the Hero and the Victim have received the same painful call to adventure.
The Victim will choose the wound instead of the healing.
The Hero will choose the healing instead of the wound.
The Victim will cultivate injustice instead of forgiveness.
The Hero will cultivate forgiveness instead of injustice.
The Victim will cling to the anger and resentment.
The Hero will release the anger before it becomes resentment.
The Victim will blame everything and everyone.
The Hero will take responsibility and help others with their experience.
The Victim will carry a grudge and become disfigured.
The Hero will let go and become radiant.
The Victim will whine and complain.
The Hero will be grateful and loving.
The Victim will become defensive, protective, and shut down.
The Hero will become resilient, flexible, and open.
The Victim will infect their relationships with their victim story.
The Hero will bless their relationships with their courageous story.
The Victim will say they had no choice.
The Hero will say that there is always a choice.
We all choose to be a Victim at times. It's a human default reaction. However, once we are aware, we have the opportunity to get on that brave path of transformation.
Whatever you're going through right now, you can shift onto this heroic path starting right now, while you're still here.
And here is a shameless plug: I can help you with my Wisdom Life Coaching. I would be honored to guide you from Victim to Hero. It is possible and I would love to be part of your new story.