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Are You an Enabler?

"What you permit will increase" (Dr. Mike Murdock). As I read this quote in one of my devotionals, I stopped to think about it. Was there an unpleasant situation in my life that was increasing? If so, was it increasing because I was giving it permission to increase?

Psychologists call this granting of permission for a negative situation to persist "enabling". Enablers are those who derive their self-worth from encouraging others to continue in bad behavior.

For example, a woman married to an alcoholic can enable him in his bad behavior by making excuses for his behavior instead of confronting him about it. A friend can enable bad habits in a writer by making excuses for the writer's failure to write.

Sometimes we even enable ourselves by making excuses for our own bad behavior, particularly about our writing habits.

What negative behavior are you permitting in your life? In your writing life? If you continue to permit the bad behavior, it will increase. If you refuse to allow it, it will decrease.

And that's my "musing that matters" for today. What's yours? :)

Blessings,

MaryAnn

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Copyright 2007 by MaryAnn Diorio, Ph.D. All rights reserved. This blog entry may NOT be reproduced, reprinted, or published in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may, however, forward it to others, but please do so IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your cooperation.

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