Maybe my first real post.
Have you ever been in a situation where you've said--maybe sarcastically--"Well, it can't get any worse!"
If you have ever heard that in a movie, odds are that just after the character repeats that line, it starts raining, or something else. In an almost hilarious representation contradicting the character's last statement, and probably a poor attempt at humor, it just possibly got worse.
But the good news is that whether you're getting ready to say to yourself that it can't get worse, or even if you've just said that only to find that it in fact was possible, the good news is that when you hit rock bottom, you've nowhere to go but up!
Just six months ago, I was in a situation that I thought possibly couldn't get any worse--I hated my job, didn't speak the language, had no opportunities on the horizon, and was just a constant ball of static-electric stress, waiting to shock the next victim who dared so much as touch me. Then the situation got worse as my boss moved. My next boss was the poor attempt at humor proving things can get worse when you doubt it can.
But then, in a miraculous sort of way, things started getting better. Nothing changed. I did. I realized nothing was going to change until I acted, and I had nothing to lose and nowhere to go but up. I started applying to jobs. And unexpectedly, I was getting people interested in interviewing me--so much so that I had to tell prospective employers that I was actually not accepting any more interview appointments until I saw how these ones panned out.
Now, I'm in the first week of my new job, and I feel on top of the world. The people are wonderful, the culture is amazing, and now I find myself saying, "Things couldn't possibly get any better!" And I know that I'm about to be proven wrong because unlike going down, when you eventually find the bottom, there is no limit to how high you can go!
However, the thing I find most interesting is this. Without the bad times I wouldn't have ever made it to these good times I now find myself in. If I would've found myself in a mediocre, or otherwise bearable, situation, I could've problably stuck with it. I would've been content with something that wasn't great but neither horrible.
But that's the funny thing about extremes--it's when you're in a scenario so bad as to try anything and everything to get out of that you then come to find yourself on the verge of something great.
Thought Exercises:
1) Think of a great time in your life. What immediately preceeded it? Was it something good or bad?
2) Would you be content with 'just ok' where you could never be extremely miserable but neither extremely happy? Or rather pass through miserable times in order to feel extreme happiness and joy?
3) If you are currently in a bad situation, what are some actions you can do to change it?
4) If you are currently in a great situation, examine why it's great, and what you can do to keep it that way.