Rita’s Journey of Making a Change

Rita stepped into the open field, letting the wind touch her face. Her mind felt heavy, but the silence around her felt gentle, as if the earth itself was giving her space to heal. “Why do I feel like this all the time?” she asked herself softly. “I try to be kind. I wish good for everyone. I don’t hurt anyone… so why does life keep hurting me?” She placed her hand on her chest and whispered, “Am I weak?” Then she answered herself gently, “No. I am tired.”

For a long time, Rita had felt like a victim. Most situations made her feel powerless, and most reactions pulled her deeper into sadness. She kept reliving the same pain again and again. “Why do I keep recycling the same experiences?” she whispered. “Why does nothing change, even when I want it to?” She felt stuck and helpless.

One morning, overwhelmed and exhausted, she folded her hands and looked upward. “God,” she said quietly, “I don’t know what to do anymore. Please guide me.” She sat in silence after her prayer, and in that silence, a new thought came to her. What if the problem is not life, but how I see life? What if she was not a victim? What if she could choose something else?

Taking a deep breath, Rita spoke firmly and made a promise to herself. “From today, I will stop calling myself a victim. I am a victor.” The word felt strange at first, almost unbelievable. “A victor?” she questioned. Then she replied, “Yes. A victor chooses growth, even in pain.” As she reflected, she realized how much she tried to control everything. She carried unnecessary expectations and longed for certainty, but she honestly admitted that her need for control was stealing her peace.

“Some things are in my control,” she reminded herself, her thoughts, actions, character, mindset, and attitude. “But other things are not,” she continued, other people’s opinions, actions, outcomes, and circumstances. So she chose to let go of everything that was beyond her control. “Instead of asking, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ I will ask, What is this trying to teach me and how can I respond better?’” She began practicing breathing exercises and meditation, using them as quiet spaces to calm her mind and return to herself.

As Rita reflected more deeply, she began to understand people differently. “Why are people so toxic sometimes?” she asked herself. Then she answered, “Because they are hurting.” She realized that pain often speaks through behavior, anger, jealousy, and cruelty are signs of inner wounds. She decided that she didn’t have to engage with everyone’s negativity. She could choose compassion, help when possible, educate with patience, step back when needed, and set boundaries when necessary.

The another promise she made to herself was simple but powerful: I will meet people where they are. She reminded herself that not everyone grows at the same pace. Some people learn early, some later, and some may never learn at all. That did not make anyone less valuable. In God’s eyes, everyone was equal. She learned to accept people as they are and still set limits on how close they could come.

Slowly, Rita noticed a change. She was calmer, reacted less, and judged less. When life felt hard, she spoke to herself kindly. When others disappointed her, she reminded herself they were doing the best they could with what they knew. And when she felt overwhelmed, she returned to her breathing practices and meditation, trusting that God was guiding her. One day, she smiled and said, “I am not perfect, but I am changing and growing.” 

For the first time in a long while, it felt like enough. In that moment, she realized she had changed her own life by choosing to change.

Disclosure: This story is fictional. While it may reflect universal emotions or human experiences, the characters and events are imagined.