Growing up, one of the more popular phrases I often heard was “when it rains, it pours.”  When lady luck strikes you, a string of good luck comes your way. However, when bad luck comes, same thing also applies.  Supplemental to this phrase is a belief that goes – “they come in threes.”

The so called good and bad luck that we encounter is all part of our circumstances.  It is what happens to us, it is LIFE. Some people believe, because those are the circumstances they encounter in their daily lives, they have no control over it.  That is how things are, that’s part of life, so be it. I cannot do anything about it and will just go with the flow and eventually it will come to pass. But is this how we deal with the circumstances?

Here’s the thing:  everyday life positively or negatively comes to us.  How we accept it and how we live it makes the difference.  You have control in the circumstances that come your way because you determine your priorities and your choices.  A famous quote says – “When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your power is.”

When I came to the United States, I only had $500 in my pocket.  How can I survive with this, considering I do not even know what lies ahead of me.  But I had a goal and I made a choice. I worked my way towards that goal. The daily circumstances I encountered, I maneuvered them to lead me to achieving my goal.  I did not let the circumstances dictate how I would live my life. If I did, I would not have achieved my goal. We can control circumstances by how we live and respond.

Circumstances do not make you, you make yourself.  The circumstances in your life just make you better.