Victim to Victory

April 7, 2000, I had to relocate when the stalker was released from prison. I felt lost when I had to say goodbye to my old life, change my identity and relocate. It was very difficult looking for work without any employment history or references available with my new name. I faced rejection in my job search, and it was a real struggle to embrace my new life as Shannon Knight.

I blamed myself for all that happened to me. I began to feel guilt and self-criticism.  Most of all, I felt awful as a mother for messing up my kid’s lives.  What were they going through? What did they think of their mother? If I did not have approval from them and everyone else I cared about, it devastated me.

In 2006 I got my first diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer, and for the first time, I felt the fear consuming me so much that I thought for sure I was headed in a downward spiral. If I did not change my attitude, I would end up in total despair and continue sinking mentally and emotionally. I began to write in a journal down five things each day that I was grateful for, and that changed my bad attitude into one of gratitude. I started counting more blessings I had not noticed before.

Being grateful during times of adversity is not easy, but we can reframe our past experiences and look at them in a whole new way. We can change our perspective instantly, and with practice, it develops our own self-compassion, and we have more compassion for the people in our lives.

I wrote Grateful Heart as my first book, so I could give thanks to everyone who was a part of my life journey and to teach others how powerful the practice of gratitude can have in our life. Get a copy for yourself and even for a friend who is going through a difficult time- The results begin immediately.

“Grateful Heart: Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor.” 

From Self-Criticism to Self-Compassion