What are you addicted to?

It seems as though whenever the word addicted is used, we all become wide-eyed and alert. The word addiction in any of its forms (addict, addiction, addicted etc.) somehow brings to mind all the worst forms of drugs and habits imaginable. The truth is that we are all addicts in some way.

Some of our addictions are manageable and some are handicapping. Some are positive and some are negative. But no matter how we decide to look at it, we are all addicts nonetheless.

Some of my addictions are shopping, travelling, organization, my cellphone and the Internet. These are at least the ones I care to share. There are however some addictions that I have learned to control and ultimately eliminate. These include bad relationships, unhealthy and/or parasitic friends and negativity.

Overcoming addictions is never an easy process, and the truth is that it should not be. We learn from everything we encounter in this life and sometimes it is the worst things that help us develop our best qualities. The most precious and expensive diamond is made from a lump of coal. The sweetest lemonade comes from the tangiest lemons. Even some of the most influential leaders started out with the most horrible pasts. The underlying issue is not the vice that bonds you now but the course for which you're bound.

So give this some thought the next time you deal with your own addictions or criticize someone else's.