Stay Out of The Victim Pool

Think of life as a giant swimming pool. You've got your expert swimmers, your weekend waders, those that are learning, those that are drowning or struggling to tread water, and that one little prick that keeps trying to dunk everyone under. Your victims in life fall under the struggling to tread water or drowning category. These are the people that know little to nothing on how to succeed at what they are going for. They know that if they were to kick their way over to the side and cling to the wall or move to a more shallow end of the pool, they would do better, be in less danger, and probably have a little fun in the process. They might even find someone willing to teach them if they asked around and were committed enough.

Instead, they willingly choose to flail helplessly in the middle, with no training, and scream to the universe, "Why am I not any good at this", and "Why do I keep failing?" As if the universe for some reason was supposed to spit them out of the womb with a Master’s Degree and an Olympic Medal in swimming. On top of this, they seem to surround themselves with flailing, drowning, dimwits, that cling to them like a lead weight and begin to pull them under. Some of these twits even go as far as claiming guru status and say they can lead the way. When a good swimmer happens to see them and offer to pull them to safety or teach them how to swim on their own, they either punch the good Samaritan in the eye or scoff at them because their befuddled guru says they know better. All while coughing up water while in the death throes of drowning.

The moral to this story is, sometimes you need to take a long hard look at the people you surround yourself with. Some will help you but others will bring you pain and frustration. Not necessarily having any conscious malice toward you, even though some will to fill their own gaping void of misery. Some seem to think they are helping you by keeping you from the endeavors they themselves have failed at and feel that if they failed you will too. Their failures are not yours though and if you truly wish to succeed, you will push through when they chose to quit. Others will hold you back because they don't want you to succeed and leave them behind. Both of these types of people can be like lead weights dragging you under and you need to cut them loose. You're welcome to pull them up from the bottom when you get there but don't let them drag you down and keep you from achieving your dreams.

The people that truly love you and support you, won't hold you back. This isn't to say that they won't warn you about the real dangers you may face, but they will understand that this is your life and your mistakes to make. If we never make mistakes, then we never learn. If we never listen to those that have made the mistakes before us and found solutions, then we are fools.

Don't let anyone hold you back. Find your expert swimmers, if possible, who can show you the way. If someone offers a hand, make sure there's not a weight attached. Don't forget to always love and appreciate the ones that hold you up, even if they themselves are drowning. The pool is full of swimmers. Don't be a victim.

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