Word of the Week #391:
There are times when we do everything right, but somehow, at the very last step, we do not get the outcome we sought. Happens, right?
Work your heart out on a pitch, only for the client to go with an inferior option just to pinch some pennies.
Or follow a strict rehab plan to the T for weeks, only to be ruled out a day before the game due to a random and suddenly niggling joint.
Or… well, I can’t think of another example off the top of my head. These two have just happened to me, so they are extra-fresh in my mind.
Why do I feel uncomfortable sharing two examples? One or three would be okay. Two somehow just feels wrong…
Anyway… We’ve all been through such situations, right?
We all know how it felt to do our best and fail.
We all know someone who took great care of themself and still get diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.
We all know someone who always drove with great care, only to get hit by a drunk driver and lose their life.
The world is random. Our inability to control the outcomes we experience can be frustrating, right?
Well, I have found one simple way to cope with these frustrations: I keep in mind all the mistakes I’ve made that have been overlooked or excused; all the times I couldn’t do as well as should have (let alone my very best) and got what I wanted; all the times I did something ridiculously reckless and survived without any significant consequences.
The world is random. The world is weird. The world is funny.
Sometimes, we fail the world. Sometimes, it fails us.
Either way, I think the best path for us is usually to just laugh it off, get back on our feet, and keep moving forward the best way we can.
