Quotable Monday: Bitter or Better

“I am I plus my circumstances.” — Jose Ortega y Gasset

Truer words are rarely spoken. Someone else said that life’s circumstances can make you bitter, or better. The choice, I believe, is yours.

Worst case day: I get fired. The choice is mine as to whether I am sad and wallow in self pity, or whether I take the opportunity to do things I couldn’t do while looking for a new job – maybe finding something better than I had before.

Bad things happen to everyone, it doesn’t matter if you’re a good person or a bad person, at some point something bad will happen. If nothing bad has happened recently, then now is a good time to prepare, because there is probably an onslaught coming. Also, just because you don’t see bad things happening to other people, doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering too – maybe they’ve already made the decision to be better, rather than bitter.

I am I, plus my circumstances. How I deal with that combination, however, is entirely up to me.

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