My wife often says that I am not a victim, even if at times I may appear to be one.
She does not say it to comfort me, but to remind me that the real difference is not in what happens to me, but in how I respond.
In Sicily, there is a saying: “Cu è forti, nun si scantau mai di nenti.”
Literally: “The strong have never been afraid of anything.”
It means that strength is not the absence of blows, but the ability to remain steady when they come.
Victims suffer and stop.
Those who only seem like victims, but are not, choose to stay on their feet even when the circumstances would justify surrender.
In business as in life, this makes all the difference:
- A manager who loses a client can either dwell on it or turn the loss into a turning point.
- A leader under pressure can either look for someone to blame or take responsibility and lead the team out of the crisis.
Being a “non-victim” does not mean never falling.
It means falling and rising again with clarity, enduring without losing direction, and suffering without giving up control over one’s choices.
True strength is not about seeming invulnerable, but about remaining the author of your own story even when others see only weakness.