“When we decide to attend a pity party, we usually show up a day early, overdressed, and without an escort”
Self pity is one of the most dangerous ways we indulge our ego. It is that self-centeredness that our ego feeds upon in the form of feeling sorry for ourselves. Self pity tries to keep our vision clouded as to the reality of the situation. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of viewing situations based on our emotions. We never get any good breaks, people are out to get us, or I’m stuck here without any options. The problem with self pity is that it encourages us to blame others for our dilemmas and discourages personal responsibility.
Most people don’t enjoy spending time at another person’s pity party. We may listen for a while, and even sympathize to some degree, but over time we dread their phone calls or running into them at an event. I always think to myself, “Gosh, I hope I don’t come off that way when I’m talking about what’s going on my my life!”
When we take a step back, and look at the larger picture, we can see our part in situations and relationships. This is possible when we have an objective observer, a life coach, to walk along side of us and help us to remain accountable. When we look at ourselves honestly, and remain accountable for our thoughts and actions, growth is possible. We can begin to develop a personal growth plan as safety deposit account we can dip into when we feel the inclination to fall into self pity. We enter into hope rather than despair.
Jan M. Drury, M.S., C.L.C. jan@lifecoachingpartners.com
Life Coaching Partners, LLC 