Survival Guide

I'll call this Michelle's Survival Guide.


1. Don't be defined by your circumstances or by what other people think. When it gets right down to it, it's what God thinks that counts, and He wants us to trust Him and follow His plan for our lives.

2. Learn to forgive and let go, for your own sake if nothing else. In the long run, the only one you hurt by refusing to forgive is yourself. Forgiving doesn't mean anyone has gotten away with anything; it means you're giving yourself a break.

3. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. You can avoid a lot of problems by doing this.

4. Don't say things about others you wouldn't be willing to say to their face.

5. On the other end of the spectrum, don't say things to others you wouldn't want them to say to you.

6. When you find yourself dealing with conflict, step back and consider what you might be doing to contribute to it. It's very rare for conflict to be completely the fault of one person. Keeping in mind that people who hurt are usually hurting themselves can be helpful. Of course as with anything, there will be exceptions, and no, it's not an excuse for bad behavior. However, realizing it's a problem on their part can keep things in perspective.

7. Ask yourself if it will matter in a year, six months, a month, a day or even an hour from now. If the answer is "no" maybe it's not worth the hassle.

8. It's not mistakes or failure that is the issue; we all fail at times. What really matters is whether you're leaning anything from your mistakes.

9. Remember this too shall pass.

10. Back up all your files.