There are few guarantees in life, but this is one of them: sometimes things won’t go the way you want them to. Maybe you’ll have trouble finding a job, or a disagreement with your boss, or get laid off, or… things go “wrong.”
But is it actually “wrong”?
Perhaps instead of using the word “wrong,” we should consider the word “differently.” Things went differently than planned. What you do next is the most important part:
Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone?
When things go “differently”, one possible reaction is disappointment or frustration. We wanted an outcome we didn’t get. If we brood over this we’ll transform frustration into anger. The result: lost time and damaged relationships.
How can we transform this obstacle into something that moves us forward instead?
Experiment.
In “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Victor Frankl tells how he persevered through a horrific experience: he took an external view of his own life and treated it as an experiment no one else could/would conduct.
No one would intentionlly place themselves in a bad situation. But if you find yourself in one, you have an opportunity to do an experiment that is otherwise impossible.
Do you have a professor who is difficult to deal with? Treat it as an experiment in dealing with difficult professors. Instead of taking things personally, view this as an opportunity to try different tactics. Same goes for difficult bosses, car accidents, or rejected applications.
The next time something goes “wrong,” ask yourself what experiments just became possible.
