Defining Who You are

I would like to discuss a topic that I find very prominent in my life and in many lives. I believe many, many lives are affected by the subject of my speech. The subject is “Who you are is not defined by what has happened to you, who you are is defined by how you react
to what has happened to you.”

I want you to stop and think about that statement. What do you think about that? Really?

Today I want to touch upon three subtopics related to this statement. I want to talk about Hope, Opportunity and Accountability.

Hope

Hope. That word has been mentioned a lot lately. Barak Obama uses the word hope. Hillary Clinton uses the word hope. You use the word hope. Probably every day. “I hope I pass that test in class later.” “I hope the cell phone bill gets to my parents after they send my allowance.” “I hope this lady makes this quick.” Right?

But do you ever think “I hope that guy that sits next to me in class keeps his hands to himself. “I hope I didn’t do anything stupid last night, man was I wasted.’ “I hope nobody can tell I was raped, does it show on my face?”

Did you know that about half of all people who are raped know the person who attacked them? That 7% to 10% of rape victims are male? One aspect of protecting yourself means following your instincts and removing yourself from situations that you don’t feel good about. Being uncomfortable in your own classroom is unacceptable. If you do nothing, maybe something as simple as moving to another seat, you go through anxiety (before, during and after class), you start becoming apprehensive in social situations and you start acting the part of the victim.

However, if you are proactive, you have hope. Hope is enlightening, doubt-lifting and empowering. If someone is invading your space…empower yourself by using the hope you have inside of you. Someone has made you uncomfortable…how you react to that person will define who you are more than how that person makes you feel. Need more answers? Click here. 

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row for boys and four or more in a row for girls.

Often binge drinking begins around age 13, tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18 to 22). Is this you or someone you knnow and love? Then gradually decreases.