“Circumstances? I make circumstances!” – Napoleon Bonaparte
I cannot tell you when I added this quote to my collection. It has been years! One of the things that I struggled with as I started my teenage years self-image and self confidence. I had a friend that took a rather singular approach to motivating me to see things differently. Eventually, I learned to “Chin Up” and face the world and the challenges that it presented to me. In doing so, I began to understand that in many cases I made the circumstances that I had to deal with or live with. First, I realized that some of the choices I was making caused my life to be much more complicated than it needed to be. Once, I adapted my choices to positively impact my life; I learned that I could expand my area of influence. Second, I learned that how I responded to situations around me or that were aimed at me could change the events that followed.
In all honesty, this second lesson is one I am still working to master. A wife and children significantly change the dynamics of life and I am still learning to respond in ways that minimize the negative and emphasize the positive.
iron wil
