Always Make Something Good Out Of Something Bad

My wife's uncle Charles would say: "always make something good out of something bad."  I knew he was right, but it's really hard to accomplish.  We kind of look at things as good or bad.  Many times we don't appreciate the goods things and many times we focus too much on the bad things.


Not taking a step back and appreciating the good things will retard your happiness.  Focusing on the bad things will destroy your happiness.  The answer is obvious for what to do with the good things, however not as obvious as to what to do with the bad things.


For example, how do you make something good out of a broken leg?  The answer is to first stop being upset that you broke your leg.  Stop being angry with yourself because you could have avoided breaking your leg in the first place.  No shouldas or couldas. Stop being frustrated with the limitations a broken leg will mean to your everyday life.  The leg is broken - deal with it.


After you've accepted your beautiful broken leg, make a list of what good could happen because your leg is broken.  Now, you can get on an airplane before everybody else.  Now, you can have your friends and family take care of you instead of you always taking care of them.  Now, you can get everybody together to sign you wonderful leg.  Now, you can get out of work or school early (or not go at all).  Now, you can do the quiet things (like reading or watching TV shows) that you seem to never have the time to do before.  Now, you can build up your arm muscles getting around on those fantastic crutches.


If you focus on making something good out of a broken leg, your frustration and anger will lessen.  Less frustration and anger - more happiness.  More happiness will seem to you like your leg is healing faster.  The faster you feel your leg is healing the more positive outlook you will have.  The more positive outlook - the more happiness.


Let's take on a more difficult bad thing.  Your spouse leaves you or your boyfriend/girlfriend leaves you or your best friend no longer has your back or your family starts treating you like crap.  Making something good out of those bad things is difficult, but not impossible.  I know because I lived it.


As I stated before, you have to first start accepting this has happened to you.  No more blaming them or most importantly blaming yourself.  That's very hard and probably will take time, but it's a must if you're going to recover.  Thinking about what good you can make out of this bad will help you get over it faster.


Sooo, what good can come from this disaster?  Maybe for the first time in a long time you are free to do the things you like to do without getting approval from another person.  Maybe for the first time in a long time you are free to meet new friends who are not part of your old clan.  You will eventually meet someone else who will be more interesting, more fun, accepts you just the way you are and gives you more freedom than you had before.  Maybe for the first time in a long time you will be alone with yourself and find out you want someone in your life, but you don't need someone to make you happy. 


Maybe you'll find out the person who left you was not the right person in the first place.  Maybe you'll find out the friend who didn't have your back was not the friend you thought he or she was in the first place.  Maybe you will realize you never did need those family members who don't love you.


Bad things are always going to happen in your life.  Making something good out of something bad will build you self confidence.  Making something good out of something bad will help you like yourself more.  Making something good out of something bad will be positive energy.  Making something good out of something bad will tell your friends and family you have your act together.  Making something good out of something bad will get your friends and family to consider how they should act when they have something bad happen to them.


When your friends and family make something good out of something bad, they bestow positive energy on you.  Positive energy will encourage you to make something good out of your something bad.  

Positive energy begets positive energy.  Positive energy begets happiness.  Happiness is the forgotten ingredient of life.

Be the source of positive energy by making something good out of something bad.