Team Freedom Challenge To Change
Changing Lives To Achieve True Freedom
Topstone.com

I Got Robbed!

Do you ever feel that way? Like you got cheated by someone or something and your life is changed forever. The original expression, oft used in sports is, "We was robbed", meaning (from Dictionary.com), "We were cheated out of a victory; we were tricked or outsmarted." The expression has been attributed to fight manager Joe Jacobs, who uttered it on June 21, 1932, after his client, Max Schmeling, had clearly out-boxed Jack Sharkey, only to have the heavy-weight title awarded to Sharkey.

I feel like I got robbed - twice. Once on May 17, 1985 and then again sometime in early 2011. I thought that the first time was bad because I was robbed of my health and my ability to be a competitive runner by a car accident. But the good news is that I got both back eventually. I am still struggling with the effects of this latest "robbery" - once again of my health and running - and being older, it seems way more daunting, if not impossible, to get my "goods" back.

But there is one thing to say about this time, though, and that is, if I did it once, I can do it again. I was "robbed" and no matter how long it takes, I am going to get back as much as I can just to get even.

Courage to Never Feel Sorry For Yourself Again

Ironically, I got an email this morning with the subject line, "Why Its Stupid to Feel Sorry for Yourself" and that got my attention. I get lots of inspirational and motivational emails along with my emails from you and this one contains an article by Guy Finley, a best selling author. I will quote most of the article for you here.

Defeating dark emotions"One thing that makes it so difficult to stop feeling sorry for ourselves is how real it feels when we are full of self-regret.

Negative states, in general, are part of an interior conspiracy to produce the illusion that no choice exists for us other than to cave in to their punishing presence. But, in truth, it is not we who are without choice in such moments; it is the negative state that has no choice but to disappear as soon as we remember that no darkness is greater than the Light that reveals it.

The key to dismissing the parts of us that love pity parties is to blow out the match that lights the candles of bitterness before they become inflamed. Here are ten truths about self-pity to help strengthen your wish to be free of all dark, self-compromising states."

  • It Makes Things Worse - The only thing feeling sorry for yourself changes about your life is that it makes it worse.

  • It Fosters Persistent Resistance to Healing - No matter how you look at it, you involve yourself with whatever you resist!

  • It Repels New Opportunities - Being wrapped up in self-pity completely spoils any chance of being able to see new possibilities as they appear; besides, no one likes sour milk!

  • It Nurtures Bitterness - The only thing that grows from cultivating any dark seed of sorrow is more bitter fruit.

  • It Enables the Negative in Everyone - Feeling sorry for those who want you to feel sorry for them is like giving an alcoholic a gift certificate to a liquor store.

  • It Steals Your Possibilities - Your thoughts can no more tell you what is true about your possibilities than can a set of stream-side boulders know the nature of the waters that rush by them.

  • It is a Poison to the System - Feeling sorry for yourself is a slow acting poison; it first corrupts, and then consumes the heart...choking it with dark and useless emotions.

  • It Overwhelms You - You cannot separate the reasons you have for feeling sorry for yourself from the sorry way you feel.

  • It Depletes You of Compassion - The heart watered by tears of self-pity soon turns to stone; it is incapable of compassion.

  • It Dooms You to a Future of Sadness - Agreeing to live with sad regrets only ensures they'll still be with you tomorrow.

  • Moving Past Self Pity - It is important to realize there lives nothing real in our past - regardless of how disappointing or painful it may have been - that can grab us and make us its captive anymore than dark shadows have the power to keep us from walking into the sunlight. Now, add to this fact the realization that there is never a good reason to go along with feeling bad about yourself, and you're on your way to living in a world without self-pity.

In closing...

Were you robbed? Robbed of your once slim figure, robbed of your athletic body, robbed of your health, robbed of your youth? I guess the choice is either to throw a pity party for yourself or to buckle down and do everything that you can to get what was "robbed" from you back. You may not get it all, but getting any of it back has to be considered a victory and worth the fight!

Sincerely,

Rich Dafter
Independent Team Beachbody Coach Howtobefit
Head Coach of Team Howtobefit
Website: http://www.howtobefit.com/
Facebook Member Group: Team TOPSTONE
Facebook Running Group: Born To Run - A Facebook Group for Runners
Facebook Personal: http://www.facebook.com/rich.dafter
Facebook Business: http://www.facebook.com/howtobefit
Twitter Personal: http://twitter.com/richdafter
Twitter Business: http://twitter.com/Howtobefit
Team Beachbody Message Board Thread: Empower
Team Beachbody Message Board Thread: Share Your Faith and Gratitude
Email Rich: howtobefit@aol.com
Text questions to: 5054638865

Recent Issues
Journey of a Thousand Workouts
Fitness, Simplified
iImpact
Just The Facts
How Bad Do You Want It?
A Pack of Challenges
A Long Road Back
I Want To Pump You Up!
What's the Big Deal?
"Walking In My Footsteps"
Can't Wait To Lose Weight?
Decisions for the Next 365 Days
A Better Me
"Sweatworking" Together
Facebook For Fitness
Now What?
Give Thanks,
Don't Worry
Will You Make a Commitment
Is This Guy Lapping You?
Veteran's Day Tribute
What is the Price
of Freedom?
Fundamental Questions
Motivation vs Inspiration
Settling For #2?
Born To Lead
Don't Settle
Do You Know
Why?
The Faith to
Endure
Simple Tips for Success
Resources
Team Freedom
Coach Blog
Coach Journal
Faith & Gratitude
Howtobefit.com
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Learn More About iContact