What’s the best worst thing that ever happened to you?
Mine was losing my stable law firm job and starting my own business.
It enabled me to become my own boss and choose fulfilling work and clients on my own terms.
I would also add to the list when my significant other left me for one of our mutual friends. I didn’t see it coming.
It saved me from a lifetime of worrying what he would do next. It forced me to make better decisions when it came to my romantic partners and to stop choosing controlling narcissists.
It also made me realize that I ignore too many red flags.
I was also ganged up on by several supposed close friends and was the victim of bullying and the subject of malicious gossip.
It forced me to make better decisions when it came to my friendships and to cut ties with people who didn’t have my best interests at heart.
Being betrayed and having the rug pulled from under you whether personally or professionally can really shake you to your core and cause you to reevaluate everything in your life.
They say that the only constant is change and I’ve always been afraid of change but for the first time in my life I actually embraced it when these things happened to me.
Although the things that happened to me were out of my control, I could control my reaction to them and while I was shellshocked, life was forcing me on a new path.
A positive attitude, or seeing the silver lining even when things are bleak, will only help you to get things back on track faster rather than letting life win this round.
All sorts of bad things happen to people who in no way “deserve” them.
While experiencing something that shakes your stability to the core is just awful, the silver lining is that it helps you grow into a more compassionate person because you’ve now experienced it too.
So how do you find positivity when negativity strikes? The trick is to look past the situation, and to acknowledge how it can still bring forth some rewards and opportunities.
Sometimes a crisis can jolt you into reevaluating your life. It can force you to ask yourself if you’re really doing what makes you happy and spending your time how you want to, or with the people you want to spend it with.
See this as an opportunity rather than a loss. The story you tell yourself is so important during tough times.
Gratitude for what I did have kept me going – it can really help you cope and remain positive during the bleakest of times.
When facing challenges, appreciating your valued aspects of life has a way of putting things into a more manageable perspective. For me it was my family and my close friends and my dogs.
It’s really important to recognize and dismiss self-fulfilling prophecies.
Be wary of the story you tell yourself, as you may find yourself acting it out.
If you keep repeating negative things to yourself, negative things will keep persisting in your life, but if you try and remain positive, good things will come. I promise.
One thing that always has worked for me in the face of tough times is having something to look forward to. For those who know me, I am a planner. Whether it’s a concert, a vacation or a social event, I love having my calendar full.
Doing this kept me going during tough times, and I know that for some people you may want to just hide and be by yourself but I strongly advise you not to do that.
If you are looking toward the future and are not excited about anything, then it’s time to find something to look forward to.
It doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive; it should just be something that will make you feel happy (e.g., dinner with a friend, a new book, a weekend getaway, etc.). Looking forward to something meaningful provides hope in the face of gloom.
Isn’t it funny how sometimes good things happen from bad things?
Life has a funny way of working itself out even when things seem bleak.
There’s a silver lining and almost everything sometimes it’s hard to see it but it’s there if you look really closely. Through every difficult situation is an opportunity to grow.
Trust me.