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Life is not just a series of ups and downs, it is a never-ending
series of ups and down. Since none of us enjoys the downs, we like
to think that we can somehow avoid them. We build up all sorts of
expectations that we will be different somehow from the rest of
humanity. I know this sounds crazy, but it’s true.
Whenever we are hit by the downs in life, we
often see ourselves as unlucky. Unlucky? If that is the case, all of
us are unlucky because none of us is spared from pain,
disappointment and seatbacks.
I am not a pessimist. In fact, I am an incurable
optimist. Remember that I spend most of my time working with
addicts, people that most of you believe are hopeless. I am,
however, a realist and I have never met anyone, even among the most
successful, who did not have his share of “unlucky” experiences.
Some of us undergo more down moments than most
because we don’t learn from the lessons of the past and we keep
getting ourselves into trouble that we could avoid. Then there are
those who are so terribly wounded by past traumas, that they get
into all sorts of self-defeating situations like drug and alcohol
addictions and eating disorders.
Little kids have got to be watched all the time
lest they hurt themselves. Immature adults are no different. Turn
your back and before you know it, they are in trouble. They are not
unlucky, it’s just that they keep walking into glass doors and
harming themselves.
The woman who plunges into relationships right
and left and can never seem to find happiness, isn’t unlucky. She
is simply incompetent when it comes to finding a mate. When a woman
accepts a womanizer and a drunkard in the hope that he will change
as he promised, she is asking for an “unlucky” experience and
chances are she will get it.
The young man who refuses to continue his
schooling in the hope of becoming a basketball star is setting
himself up for a down experience. Incompetence, not luck, is what it
is all about. But, what if he makes it and becomes another Michael
Jordan? That is all about incredible talent and competency. Luck
still has nothing to do with his success anymore than hitting on 90
percent of your foul shots is luck.
The truth is that the more you learn the lessons
of life, the more likely you will have more up moments than down.
Life is full of traps. The uninitiated and those
who “don’t get it,” as they say, will suffer from a lot of
“bad luck.” Most likely they will blame it on poor Lady Luck
rather than on their own lack of understanding about life. 
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If you have problems about drugs, alcohol and
behavior/attitude call my office at 8206107 or 8251771 or e-mail me
at gvcbuenca@vasia.com or write me at P.O. Box 2099 MCPO, Makati
City.
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