Why It's Good To Have Bad Things Happen To You
Sometimes life hands you a sh*t sandwich. And our first reaction when anything bad happens is to see it as a tragedy and wonder "why me?." You can choose to plunge into anger, fear and a victim mentality or you can use it to fuel your motivation.
When bad things happen, it’s easy to become negative and fall apart. And that’s okay as long as you pick yourself up to discover the lesson you need to learn. I believe the universe always has our backs, but sometimes it communicates in unpleasant ways, especially when we refuse to listen.
It's completely normal to think about what happened, maybe for a day or so, but don't dwell on it. Move forward as quickly as possible and start rebuilding yourself. Once the pity party ends, you realize that you must take action.
Pain is very motivating. It can be the kick in the butt you need to make drastic changes in your life that wouldn't have happened if you didn't hit rock bottom.
“Don't let yesterday take up too much of today” -Will Rogers
In hindsight, these events are often the best things that happened to you. Maybe you were heading in the wrong direction and it took falling apart to bring you back in line with your true destiny. Perhaps you were on a crazy road, full of dead ends. Some people will easily give up, but the strong ones refuse.
There’s always a growth opportunity in hardship because it forces us into discomfort. And because we're already caught up, it makes it that much easier to make those uncomfortable changes or decisions we’ve been putting off for years. It’s an opportunity to take risks you wouldn’t normally take or do things that you didn't think you were capable of.
When something bad happens, simply ask yourself: “What am I meant to learn from this?.” Most likely you won’t get the answer right then and there, but you will open yourself up for guidance and direction that will eventually take you where you’re meant to go. And along the road to healing, chances are you will discover your passion.
It's all about perspective and gratitude for what you have. Look around and be thankful for what you do have. Even if everything seems terrible, the fact that you have running water, food on the table and that you're reading this on a laptop or smart phone, puts you in a hell of better place than a lot of people in this world. So stop and regain your clarity whenever you find yourself in a spiral of self-pity.
The past does not define you unless you keep living in it. You are not what happened to you, you are what you choose to become. So forgive yourself and move on. You'll be a lot happier when you do. Besides, don't you want to prove the people who hurt you wrong? Trust that whatever door was closed for you was not meant for you, but that something much, much better is waiting.
Jenn Scalia | Elite.
Photo Courtesy: Tumblr
