Bitter or Better?
I love this bitter or better quote from Josh Shipp, a youth speaker and teen advocate who is helping adults understand teens & teens understand themselves.
“You either get BITTER or you get BETTER.
It’s that simple.
You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down.
THE CHOICE does not belong to fate, it BELONGS TO YOU.”
Josh Shipp
You can find more about his work at https://joshshipp.com. Excellent food for thought, to get bitter or better. Does the choice belong to you? What do you think? Do you agree or not and why?
Why the Choice is Ours
I agree and here is why. Every situation in life appears to be a test, a challenge. Wealth on one hand, poverty on the other. Health or disease.
Close family relationships or estrangements.
Every moment that we face a ‘problem' can also be an opportunity for us to build a virtual castle. For example, we can get stuck in that one room of estrangement, despair and defeat.
Or we can close that door, be aware of the test, the challenge, and make the choice to build a better life, not a more bitter life.
Why is that such a big deal?
Because the truth is that there is very little that we actually control in our lives.
The Truth of What we Control
When was the last time that you were able to control your heart to beat or not, your lungs to breathe or not, your blood to flow or not, your cells to communicate or not?
When was the last time that you can control what others do, say or think Or when was the last time that you could control just about anything in this world, even within your own body?
You and all of us have a very narrow window of control.
Even many of the thoughts that pop up in our head day and night, just pop up, and then you have to make a choice how to respond.
We can control our body movement when we still have that ability, and what our actions are. And we can control what we say, and what we think.
That is why this control is so precious, and the choices specifically in the face of problems have so much opportunity for personal greatness.
Only Millionaires can be Great?
Is it fair if the only people who can be great in life are billionaires or celebrities? Not to take away from their accomplishments in life.
But is it fair if only money and fame equal greatness?
I believe that every person can be great.
How?
Because the level playing field is that we all have an equal opportunity to use our time. How we will respond to the situations in life, to the choice of bitter or better.
Especially in those situations that cause us pain.
So, that is why I agree that what we have been dealt with, we have the choice of bitter or better.
We can make it better, by choosing to get determined to be better.
No matter the circumstances.
If we can build our inner strength and character, that is the personal greatness that is available to everyone. Because you most likely have yet to hear of any person on this planet that does not face their own type of challenges.
No matter what their wealth or fame might be.
We all admire a person who maintains their composure and dignity in the face of crisis and even better who creates thirst quenching lemonade from sour lemons.
Bitter or Better?
You might have a more physical type of challenge like needing to lose 20 pounds. Or you want to how to change your physique from fat to leaner and stronger.
Or it could be more emotional like how to handle estrangement and fight depression.
To make the bitter into better – this is the greatest opportunity in the world that is available to all. Even in painful situations. To use our free-will choice, our thoughts and our actions.
To make our lives better despite the bitter challenges we face.
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Rich is a certified personal trainer-AAPT and the author of