In our lives it’s almost inevitable that we we will face problems, challenges, and uncertainty. If it were perfect and predictable, the we wouldn’t be much different than robots. Wayne Dyer said, paraphrasing the Tao te Ching, “When you change the Way You look at Things, the way things look change.” Often the greatest setbacks in our life end up being the greatest blessing in disguise. Sometimes your biggest failure, sets you up for your greatest success.
Unemployment: About a month ago I came to a conclusion that 8 months of unemployment turned out to be a tremendous blessing in disguise. Being unemployed sucks. I’m not going to sugar coat it. Money is tight, and it can definitely take a toll on your self esteem. But, what if you started to focus on the opportunity it could provide to take your life to the next level. Here’s a few things that will eventually make unemployment a blessing in disguise.
- A much better job
- Making more money
- Creating Your Own Business that you have a tremendous passion for
- Finding a hobby that completely transform your life
- Improving your health dramatically because you have time to dedicate to fitness
Getting Fired: I got fired from my very first job out of college after a year of 12-14 hour work days, and a daily commute of over 3 hours. In fact I got fired 5 days before Christmas. In the moment that it happened, it seemed like the worst possible thing could have ever happened. During the course of that year I developed IBS, my stress levels were at an all time high and my mental and physical health at an all time low. To this day, I i think that getting fired from that job may very well have saved my life. It was the worst job I’ve ever had and it made me appreciate every situation I was in so much more after that. It was truly a blessing in disguise.
Illness: Illness is one of the most traumatic things we encounter in our lives. It takes the lives of people we love and care for and often we feel helpless. But, on the flip side of this is those who survive the illness only to tell you it was the best thing that ever happened. Here’s some of blessing in disguise that might come from even the worst of our illnesses:
- A newfound happiness and appreciation for life
- A healthier lifestyle
- Making peace with people who you’ve damaged relationships with
Getting Dumped: I can’t honestly tell you that I have a legitimate perspective on this. I don’t think I’ve ever really been in love, and I was the one who ended my two most serious relationships. The hardest thing about doing that was the pain I knew I would end up causing to those people. But ultimately, I would imagine that the worst of these situations are really a blessing in disguise. Let’s say the person you are with ends up marrying you, despite his or her doubt. Then you end up getting divorced. Ultimately getting dumped would have been a blessing in disguise. I would rather be happy and end up with somebody who wants to be with me in the long term, even if it meant heartbreak in the short term. To me, who you marry is one the most importance decisions you make in determining the quality of your life.
Failure in General: Failure is a part of life. I considered the fact that I didn’t get a job at some Fortune 500, not getting into a top business school and many of my other ego-driven pursuits of looking good on paper failures. However, each one of them brought something new into my life.
Not Getting into NYU for B-School: Considering how much I hate cold weather, this was probably a blessing in disguise. Thanks to Pepperdine, I got to study abroad in Brazil, which lead to surfing, which lead to major changes in my life today.
Not Getting a Fortune 500 Job: The 8 month struggle of one rejection after another lead to the growth of this blog, and lifestyle that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I LOVE the way my life has turned out.
You might think that looking at everything in life as blessing in disguise is naive or idealistic. But who knows, maybe if you looked at every problem or challenge that way you’d be on a level far beyond what you initially thought was possible. What have been your biggest blessings in disguise?
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@Archan: Thanks for the kind words. I guess it would be ups and downs that have led me here and without th em I really would have nothing to write about, so I guess they were necessary to get me to where I'm at. Thanks for your ongoing support.
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