Things That No One Tells You

Life is weird. I've probably said this before, but it bears repeating.

But life is downright bizarre sometimes. Like, a lot of great things happen at the same time a lot of bad things happen. And you only figure out how to do things correctly after you lose a thousand times.

This is some things I've realized:


Failure is not that big of a deal:

Look at yourself. Are you fully capable of reading this? In that case, your life does not suck as much as you previously thought.

Hell, sometimes it's supposed to suck. Financial stability is hard. Maintaining a relationship is hard. Growth only occurs when you encounter obstacles.

Is This Gonna Matter In A Year From Now?

This is the new yardstick I used when I'm in the middle of figuring out a situation: is what I'm dealing with going to matter in a year's time?

This little question has helped me weed out what is important and what is not important. Little moments of anxiety that sprinkle into life's obstacles don't sting as much as they used to when you ask this simple question.

Hindsight Must Take A Lack of Foresight Into Account 

Maybe something you thought wouldn't be a big deal a year from now ended up having huge consequences.

That can hurt.

It can really easy to beat yourself up on your biggest failures. When you blew the game winning shot and let a whole bunch of people down. The stigma can burn for a very long time. It can be easy to say "If I had made it instead of missed it, my life would be fine". But that's a conclusion you make only after everything is said and done.

Have you ever been involved in a large production? There's a lot of variables and a lot of things to worry about. No one goes in wanting to lose. They might come in unprepared, but that has nothing on the outcome they desired.

If you find yourself in the folklore of people who have messed up, understand that under the pressure you were in, a lot of people might have done the same things you have done.

Anybody can look at their past and want to do things differently when they know what exactly is going to happen. That's why we tend to idealize the past a lot. But, it's dealing with the future that's scary. That's why the future scares so many people.

So, if you ever wish you didn't do something, look at your circumstances exactly as they were. Try to cut yourself some slack if you were dealing with a landmine you didn't know about.