It is your own choice. . .

 “There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” 
― J.K. Rowling

There are few things that can infuriate me like when friends or family use their upbringing or the

circumstances they grew up in as an excuse either for their own behavior or someone else's. 

So you grew up in a house where either one of your parents were abusive, or had an addiction, or both. You might have been beaten, yelled at, slapped through the face with various objects, are broken down at each chance they got. It might have been a grandparent causing havoc and forcing you to grow up way before you should have.

Yes, these are just some of the things that happen to so many of us, or to people we know.  Things like that stick with you forever, you will never forget those things, and you can't go back and change them, but you can make choices to ensure you are nothing like those people, and that what they did will not keep you from the life you deserve to have.

We all get to an age where we know the difference between what is right and what is wrong.  Some of us will take this very seriously and some of us will live in the gray area, where you allow certain things you know is not right, but you just pretend like it's not happening, and that makes it OK.  Even if you do not give your opinion or react to something, it is still a choice you make, and a poor one at that.

Take responsibility for your actions, and stop thinking your the only one who had a traumatic start to life. Sure, I am not saying you might not have a few psychological issues, which you need help for, but make the choice to get that help.

Take some time, think about your beliefs and morals, is that the kind of person you want to be remembered as?  If it is, well then good for you! But try and be hash in criticizing yourself, think to yourself, if I had a friend with my personality - and YES think about the bad things you KNOW you do as well - would I like that friend? Would that friend have offended me or ticked me off when they did what I am doing to my friends and family? I know it's easy to miss your flaws, because you live with yourself 24 hours a day, but really try and see.  

You might find that you try to push people too much, whether it is to do things you want to do, or agree with you, even when they clearly have their own thoughts on the subject, or maybe you are a bit mean, or too honest, or careless. . .

Remember one thing...The world doesn't owe you anything, you have to work for what you want, relationships don't just happen, promotions, happiness...you have to work for it!

Maybe make a list of things from the past that bother you, and then next to each one write something good to balance it out, and focus on doing the positive things. It takes a week or two for something to become a habit. GO FOR IT!

To tie this up... Stop blaming the past and start fixing the future! In the words of Covey "Don't try to get a quick fix out of a situation you behaved yourself into." If you have done terrible things, take time and make amends, and start making your own choices, and stop letting your past and even present circumstances make them for you.

I should have studied Theology  :) I preach so well! 

Good luck for those of you who are going to try and make the "right" choices!