Venture capitalists risk a certain amount of money in order to make more money. Women risk the complications and exhaustion of pregnancy in order to have the benefit of a baby. Firefighters risk their own lives to save the lives of others. Students risk tuition money and years of studies for the potential benefit of a lucrative career. Entrepreneurs risk the hours, money and dedication needed to start a new business for the potential benefit of a successful business. Publishers risk the cost of printing and marketing a novel for the potential benefit of a best seller.
Kimberly Anne Evans spent her life using food as a friend, confidant and comforter. She estimates now that she ate about 9,000 calories a day. When she was 39 years old, her weight was 347 pounds, and she knew that she was slowly killing herself with food. Then a friend loaned her a DVD of The Phantom of the Opera.” She was moved by the Phantom’s status as an outcast, craving human contact and love.
Marian married young. She took pride in managing her home and caring for her family as well as contributing to her household income with a part time job in a day care. When she was nearly forty, her marriage ended abruptly, leaving her with three children, a mortgage, and her pride. Her pride was an asset, forcing her to shake off her depression and rise to the occasion. She had a family to care for, and she didn’t intend to have to lean on family and friends to get through.
“I’ve had some bad experiences with trust at work,” Jim wrote. “At my last job, my boss didn’t trust anyone, and it showed. He was completely disorganized, but he blamed me when he lost his paperwork. He tried to micromanage everything, and he was always spying on me and the other employees. I’d turn around from my computer and he’d be reading over my shoulder. He actually went through people’s desks a couple of time. He was always talking about honesty – how it was dishonest to get paid for a full day’s work without giving it – but he made all kinds of promises he never kept.”
A top tier celebrity is in the news right now. It’s a pretty unsavory story, so I won’t go into the details, but in short, he made some really serious mistakes. That was bad enough, but then someone got hold of the details and began to blackmail him.
Imagine you live in an oppressed nation. Your oppressor overtaxes you, reaps the benefits of your hard work, and periodically brings you and your fellow citizens in line with outbreaks of violence. Must you fight for your freedom? Are you thinking, “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Maybe you’ve seen the video. A heavy storm in the Netherlands stranded over one hundred horses on a small island of raised land, where they suffered from food and exposure for three days as concerned people frantically tried to find a way to rescue them. Even as the waters slowly receded, the traumatized animals didn’t risk putting a hoof in the waters that had so terrified them.
Change – it happens all the time. But we don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable and scary and a lot of work. But if you’re stuck in an unhappy place – unhappy in your home, marriage, job, or even yourself – you need to change. Yourself. Not them. Not it. But you.
