I catch myself asking “why me?” more often than I’d like to admit. Someone cuts me off on my way to work, the low tire pressure light comes on in my car, or the client sends me back a draft motion with more questions and comments when I have a filing deadline in thirty minutes.

When things don’t go our way we can have a tendency to view ourselves as victims. I catch myself saying things under my breath and feel sorry for myself.

When faced with adversity, successful people, on the other hand, identify what action steps to take next rather than sit and feel sorry for themselves. They recognize that life throws curveballs, that things don’t come easy and that’s ok.

The point is that it’s ok to temporarily mourn a loss, or to grieve. But it’s important not to get in the pattern of treating yourself as the victim, to feel sorry for yourself, to tell yourself that life is somehow against you. These thoughts are not only untrue, they are extremely counter-productive. While at times it may seem like the whole world is against you, the truth is whatever it is that you’re going through, it too shall pass.

The important thing is to pick yourself back up and take action steps toward getting back on track. When you treat yourself as a victim, you prevent yourself from moving on, from growing. It’s ok to be temporarily discouraged when there are set backs or hiccups with your plans. When things don’t go your way (which will inevitably happen) you must roll your sleeves up and take action steps toward the next goal. Don’t let temporarily setbacks paralyze you with the victim mentality.

Get up. Get out. What’s next?