“You can live to avenge the past, or you can live to enrich the present.” – Edith Eva Eger

On the suggestion of Ryan Holiday, I’m reading Dr. Edith Eva Eger’s The Choice: Embrace the Possible at the moment. It is a remarkable piece of literature and a must-read in conjunction with Viktor Frankl’s Man‘s Search of Meaning. These books detail the depths of human depravity and the triumph of the human spirit, and both provide starting points for overcoming the worst things that life may bring to your doorstep.

What stands out to me this evening is the notion of personal agency. No matter what you might be facing, how you live your life is truly up to you. The decisions you make must of course take into account the people and circumstances at hand, but they need not ever be dictated by externalities.

If you are facing a difficult circumstance, a frustrating person, or a painful memory, rather than fretting, take a moment to ask yourself “How can I enrich this person, place, or thing, here and now? Rather than avenging the ills you perceive, use that energy to build, to thrive.