Do you get envious of people who are always dealt a good hand? You know the type. Sunshine and rainbows. There’s apparently no wrong turn for them. They’ve gone through their life without experiencing any bumps in the road. And you ask yourself whyyyy, why do they get handed everything on a silver platter?
But before you waste any more time being envious of people who’ve seemingly got it oh so good, take a second to delve a little deeper. First of all, everyone has issues of some sort, so don’t be fooled by that Stepford wife (or husband) crap. No one’s as perfect as they portray. You never really know what goes on behind the scenes.
And more importantly, what would the good times mean if it weren’t for the lows? Picture this. Living a life where everything is just dandy ALL THE FRICKIN TIME. It may sound ahhmazing, but I reckon it would get pretty boring.
I’ll be the first to admit when you get hit with a truck full of lows it can really suck.
When it feels like life is constantly punching you in the face and giving you the middle finger. But the fact of the matter is, at some point in our lives, we all have highs and lows. And it’s not how you celebrate the highs that define who you are, it’s how you deal with the lows.
Here are a few reasons why we wouldn’t enjoy the good times without experiencing the bad and why life’s lows can be hugely valuable…
The bad times remind you of the good things you have in your life
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If every single day of your life was perfect, eventually you’d probably forget what perfect actually means. You’d have nothing to compare it to. The bad times help us to realise just how fabulous the good times really are. If you’ve had a few weeks of stress and misery, when things pick up, you’ll be like thank god for the good times – I’m gonna bloody well appreciate them. A men.
The bad times force you to be a better, stronger person
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They shape you. It’s important to feel what it’s like to hit rock bottom and come out the other side. That changes you and evolves your inner being more than you can possibly imagine. You live and you learn. It’s during the hard times that you find out who you truly are. The bad times remind you not to play it safe, to live life to the fullest and to cherish every single good moment you get gifted with.
The bad times help you to reflect on where you need to improve
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How would you grow as a person if everything was easy? Use the bad times as feedback. Remember, there’s no such thing as failure, only feedback. If you’ve ended up in a tough spot, how could you avoid doing it again in the future? When you’re feeling utterly crap, it’s the ideal time to reflect and come up with a kick-ass action plan.
The bad times push you to make changes
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It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut. To keep doing the same old things. Same shit, different day, you know the drill. If you keep behaving in the same way and not making any changes, you’ll stay right where you are forever. When things get hard, we are more likely to finally change our life for the better. Because you need the pain and the anguish to give you the motivation to better yourself.
The bad times make you human
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No one is perfect. ‘There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my life’ – said no one every (OK maybe like 0.5% of people on the planet). Think about people you know who appear to be perfect and have an easy ride. Are they likeable? People tend to respect you more if you’ve pushed yourself and come through difficulties. Nobody likes a good too shoes. We’re all human after all.
When everything’s good all the time things can get boring
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Zzzzzzzz. Katie from pilates is always bragging about how fabulous her life is. Well, Katie is boring. The bad times are what really makes us live and feel alive (maybe not in the moment, but afterwards). At least when there’s ups and downs things are always going to be interesting. You’ll definitely live a more fascinating and meaningful life.
The bad times force you out of your comfort zone
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It’s important to step out of your comfort zone occasionally. Sometimes we choose to do this , and other times we’re forced into the danger zone with our tail between our legs. The bad stuff pushes you to be better and achieve things you never thought were possible.
With all that said, I’m not gonna lie. I know things can be horrendous sometimes. And when your so far down the rabbit hole, you feel like you may never resurface. But at some point, it will get better. And when it does, you’ll learn to enjoy the highs with a new found appreciation and a zest for life.
P.S A lot of the above I’ve learned via my inspirational life coach who has helped me achieve some incredible goals over the last few years. Thanks Antonio Esposito.
