What appears as success or failure at the moment is often nothing more than an illusion.
With time, circumstances reveal their true nature.
You get the girl, the job, or the new house you thought was perfect. You won!
But then, six months down the road, you find out different. That girl, that job, that neighborhood turns out to be your worst nightmare.
Happens all the time.
The same holds true for misfortune.
When things don’t work out, the immediate result is obvious. This sucks!
But later, you discover that what seemed a disaster at the time worked for your benefit. In the end, things turned out pretty darn good.
Imagine you are driving home from work on a dark, rainy night. You’re tired and can’t wait to get home and relax. Then, you feel a jolt as your car slows down. You hear a thump, thump, thump and realize you have a flat tire.
You pull over to change the tire. It takes you a while; this is the first time you’ve changed a tire. It’s dark, raining hard, and you’re not sure where your spare tire is.
Still, you manage to figure everything out. Now you’re soaking wet, cold, tired, and thankful to be back on the road, headed for home.
But your spirits sink even lower when, minutes later, your headlights reveal a detour. Now it’s going to take even longer to get home. What a nightmare!
Later that night, you become aware of a landslide that wiped out the road you were traveling. Without the delay of changing your tire, the landslide would have hit your car.
The flat tire saved your life.
Setbacks, failure, and misfortune seem terrible at the moment. Yet, it might not be the end of the world as you imagine.
What looks like misfortune today can later bring you joy. Today’s misfortune can even turn into your greatest blessing.
Losing what you have may open up new and better opportunities. Allowing you to find your true soulmate, a better job, and the perfect house with great neighbors.
The result of an event may take a long time to reveal itself.
There are many good things beyond what you can see right now.
Keep moving forward, give it time, and be open to opportunity when it does arrive.
“Some of the best things that have ever happened to us wouldn’t have happened to us, if it weren’t for some of the worst things that have ever happened to us.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
