Change The Way You See Things

There was a story about a set of brothers in the US. Their mother was no longer in the picture and their father was a troubled man: an alcoholic, a drug addict, abusive and always getting in trouble with the law.

Always lying and stealing, the father couldn’t hold down a job to support his sons. Eventually one day when the boys were still young, he got up and left, and abandoned his sons.

The brothers were taken into the care of the state, put into the system and were eventually split up and adopted by different families. They ended up living on different sides of the country and lost contact with each other.

Many years went by and the brothers lived out their own lives. Meanwhile their father lied and cheated his way across the country until eventually he was locked up in prison for a significant amount of time.

A reporter picked up the story and looked into the background of the man, finding out that he had two sons. Interested to see how the father’s behaviour affected them he tracked them both down and spoke to them individually.

The First Son

The first son followed in his fathers footsteps, initially jumping from family to family, then in and out of prison. Due to his criminal background he couldn’t get a job, which made him turn to drugs and alcohol as a way to numb his pain. This only led to more criminal behaviour and an endless downwards cycle, leading to more pain and more struggles.

The Second Son

The second son was different. He was determined to not be like his father; he worked hard at school and then built a successful, stable career. He never drunk alcohol or took drugs and developed a strong faith in God. He’d married and had a seemingly happy family of his own. He was seen as a model citizen and a valued member of his community.

How Could They Both Be So Different?

What’s interesting about the story though, is the reporter asked both sons the same question, and both gave the exact same answer.

The reporter asked “why do you think your life has turned out this way”?

Both sons said; “what choice did I have when I had a father like mine“?

Your Past Does Not Equal Your Future

Try to change how you perceive situations.

You can see something as a problem or you can see it as an opportunity.

You can see something as an excuse for who you are, or you can see something as a reason to change.

You can chose who you want to be and you can change yourself. You are not your past; you have the ability to break free.

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