“Poor me! Poor me! I get no breaks. The wind and rain conspire against me. My team is hampered by injuries. The opponent is loaded with all star players. They have better facilities. Better assistants. The field is tilted in their favor. It is so unfair! My team fails and I look like an incompetent fool. The parents will hate me. My players will not listen. Look at how I am cursed! Woah is me!”

This is the ruinous voice that worms into my mind. It is a voice of impulse, of anxiety, it is an inner demon. Whether it is speaking truth or lies… usually gross exaggerations… it is of no benefit. I must ignore it… silence it… exorcise it.

Would I pray to God that he remove the curses of unfairness and disadvantage? What if they are not curses? What if they are blessings… opportunities for learning and growth? Can there be any true learning without suffering?

Maybe I should pray to God that He remove the snot leaking from my nose, too. But why would I put that on God? Didn’t He already give me a hand to wipe it away, myself? (Epictetus)

“But if I fail, my peers will judge and devalue me. My parents will despise me. My assistants will plot against me. I will lose status.”

So what? Maybe their judgements are correct. Maybe they are incorrect. What difference does it make? What progress will be accomplished by being concerned about their judgements?

“But they may run me off and I will lose my position and status and become the source of ridicule!”

Therefore what? Maybe they are fools. Maybe they are wise. Either way, what could I have done about that if it was already decided?

I will take on the lesson:
I will fail. I will suffer. I will learn. I will grow. I will rise higher.
I will fail again. I will suffer. I will learn. I will grow. I will rise even higher…

I will endure this or I will quit. The choice is mine. Stop whining. Stop fearing. Get to work!