“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory

however long and hard the road

may be; for without victory there is no survival.”

-Winston Churchill

I love this show called “Extreme Weight Loss.”  It follows men and women through a year transformation on their journey to losing weight.  It is always more than a journey about weight.  There is always an issue in the past that has led to these men and women to problems with obesity.  I watched a recent episode of a young man who suffered years of abuse by his father.  He kept this dark secret hidden from the world, and for years and years was a victim and a prisoner to his past.  This young man had the most remarkable journey out of any contestant I have ever seen. He decided once and for all to stop being a victim and to move past this issue forever.  The only way he could do this was to face his worst nightmare, which was his father.  Once he faced him and said what needed to be said, his life transformed, and for the first time he felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders, and he knew that he could finally move on.

We are all victims of something at some point in our lives.  Clearly some are victimized much worse than others.  If you are trapped in the cycle of being a victim, and blaming your life on the past and want to to be free, then there is only one way to do this; face your demons head on. This is most likely never an easy task.  For many the task it too big to take on alone.  Seek help from trained professionals who can lead and guide you to inner healing.  Find a friend who you can confide in, or someone that you trust to help you.  There’s a book my Mom had when we were kids called, “Feelings Buried Alive Never Die.”  How true this is.  We can’t push things into the back of our minds and pretend they aren’t there.  It may work for a little while, but it will always come back to bite you if you don’t confront it.  It is scary to confront what has tormented us for so long.  But, if you want to find the peace that you so desperately seek, then this must be done.

The majority of us all have things in our family life that perhaps weren’t what we had hoped they would be. Abuse, addictions, lack of love or trust, and numerous other negative situations may have been present in your childhood.  While I do believe that these things clearly affect us and in a lot of cases they may have shaped us into who we are today, but we don’t have to stay the person we are if we want to change.  We can’t keep blaming our parents or whoever we may keep blaming.  You can turn your life around and go from being the victim to the victor.  You can make a difference.  You can become the person you have always intended to be.  Why not stop the cycle of being a victim so you don’t keep passing it down through the generations.  However fierce and terrifying it may be to face those demons, get the proper help to do it.  If you can come out on the other side of all that has kept you down, then you will have the power back in your hands.  You will have your victory.  You will have the confidence that you need to move on, and create the life that you’ve longed for, and leave the life you once had behind you.  

The young man from the weight loss show got his life back.  He lost over 200 pounds, faced his demon from the past and moved on with his life. In the end he said, that although he would never wish what happened to him to happen to anyone, it shaped him into the person he was today, and made him stronger, and for that he was grateful.  One day, when you have risen above the chaos and can look back to see where you once were, you will see how what once made you a victim of circumstance, has now made you a victor over your life. The choice and the power to become victorious is in you.  Go and find it, never lose hope, be persistent, and your will see your victory through.

Hope On. Journey On.

Jenna