It Could Have Been Worse
Over the last few weeks, I have experienced several situations that left me feeling extremely uncomfortable. Some of which had me reevaluating my whole entire life and future. I sulked about the issues and at one point told myself “It could have been worse.”
In an attempt to make myself feel better, I sat thinking of all the reasons my life could actually be worse. I even went back as far as 10 years thinking of the obstacles I had to face. I dangerously allowed myself to sink into deep thought and in turn, ended up feeling worse off than I did dealing with the initial negative experience.
I had to stop myself one day because I began crying uncontrollably. I realized that the “it could have been worse” mentality keeps you content. I was allowing myself to be satisfied with dealing with negative situations and obstacles. I was making excuses as to why it was okay for me to have these experiences. The more I become comfortable with the idea and convincing myself it was alright, the more experiences like this began to manifest. So, I decided to challenge these ideas and thoughts.
However, there is another side to that type of mentality, which allows you to become grateful for your current and present life. That feeling of gratitude can provide this massive boost to your mood almost instantly. This isn’t always the case for me…..I refuse to let myself become okay with accepting hardship in my life. I thought back to the time I worked for the government, I was there for several years working in a position that I was unhappy with. Everyday, I dreaded my commute and the thought of sitting in my dull cubicle for eight hours. I allowed myself to be comfortable with ideas from people around me who said things like “you should be lucky you have this job.” Over the years as I started to grow into who I was, I started thinking “How can I be lucky if I feel sad being here.” That thought process is dangerous because it can prevent you from seeking greatness and following your true purpose. Thinking like that is fear based, and I realized that fear prevents you from living up to your full potential.
I say this because once I changed my mindset, my entire life began to change. I’m not at all saying I didn’t experience hardship because I did. I’m saying my attitude changed and I was able to better align with my goals and my purpose.
I am not perfect, so, of course, my thoughts to become tainted. The last few weeks was a perfect example of that. Truth is what’s the point of living a life that you are unhappy with?
In reality “It could be better” it’s up to us to make that happen.