From Your CRIT Counselor: Life Is As It Is

“Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It is the way it is. The way we cope with it is what makes the difference.”

Our upbringing, environment, and society create an image of what life should be. It is different for everyone. Growing up, we have dreams and ideas of what our future will look like or should be like. The reality can be very different.

When I was in high school, I decided to be a journalist. I wanted to write, travel the world, and share people’s stories. Little did I know that the choice would eventually lead to me being a counselor. There were decisions made along the way, circumstances, and events that molded me and changed my perspective and my goals.

Some events happen in our lives that are beyond our control. We have control over our thoughts, feelings, and actions. We can control how we respond to situations. How we choose to respond to situations is what makes a difference in the result. We can allow situations to bring us down and even destroy us emotionally and/or mentally, or we can utilize them to learn, grow and become more resilient.

It is important to have dreams, set goals, and plan for the future. It is equally essential to be flexible and able to adjust and adapt. If we can accept life as it comes, we may obtain far greater or more beneficial results than we originally imagined.