I am a very optimistic and hopeful person. This is generally a very good and healthy trait. It leads me to persist when others might give up, it leads me to take focused action, and it leads me to believe in and pursue the positive outcome. However, there are times, when it can also lead one astray.

Things in my family have devolved to their most dysfunctional and diseased. In fact, I had really believed that I had seen all the nastiness my family had to give. I was wrong. Very wrong. Two weeks ago, Suzette (my younger sister) tried to warn me, but by then it was all but too late. She called me one day and she said, "Bobbi, any one who knows you knows that you are ultra responsible. You will always do the right thing even when no one else would. They (my other two sisters and my parents) are using that against you and they are crucifying you. You need to protect yourself." It was startling to me. (Not to get bogged down in those details, but things went from bad to unimaginable. I am once again cut off from most of my family (except for Suzette and her family). It is very tough to read your mother's words that she hates you and that you are poison. I know in my heart that I am not the person they try to make me out to be. It's been a painful few weeks.)

In talking with Rick about it, I said how surprised I was by it all. He very gently pointed out that we have both seen the signs of this coming for about the last 6 to 9 months. He was right. Yet, I had somehow managed to ignore all those warning signs. What I've realized about myself in the last few days is that I have such high optimism, and I have such a high degree of belief in my own abilities to affect a positive outcome that sometimes I persist way beyond the point of reasonableness. My high level of optimism is one of my greatest strengths; now I need to work on not allowing it to become a weakness. I need to work on balancing that with acceptance of those things which I truly cannot change.

Do you have a core strength which, if taken too far, could become a weakness? What is that? How can you balance it out so that you don’t leave yourself vulnerable?

To Your Success,

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