When Disaster Strikes, Just Say The Four Letter Word.
A powerful way to beat the odds every single time you are down and out.
How do you deal with setbacks, failures, delays, defeats, or other disasters? If you are like most people, then there is a higher chance that you would have either got dejected, cursed yourself, become sad, got angry, or plain simple given up.
Like you, I have been through the dejection lane myself many times, more than you can imagine. I practically have my name carved out on that lane. Google Maps may even have my lane coordinates.
Over the years, I have struggled to navigate many own setbacks and failures, which has taken a lot of energy out of me to come back on track, sometimes even years.
But a few years back, I learned something really powerful. There is actually a fairly simple and very effective way of dealing with these situations, which is summed up in one word — “Good.”
I learned this from someone who used to work in the army. He had a subordinate who used to pull him aside with some major problem or some issue that was going on, and he would say, “Boss, we’ve got this thing, this situation, and it’s going terribly wrong.”
The Boss would look at him and say — “Good”
One day, the subordinate came rushing to his Boss about something that was going off the rails, and as soon as he finished explaining it to him, he said, “I already know what you’re going to say.”
The Boss asked him, “What am I going to say?” And he said, “You’re going to say — ‘Good”. He continued, “That’s what you always say. When something is wrong or going bad, you just look at me and say — Good.”
The Boss replied — “Well. I mean it. Because that is how I operate”. And he continued to explain to him that when things are going south, there is always going to be some good that will come from it.
- Project got canceled? Good. You can focus on another one.
- Lost a deal? Good. You can figure out what went wrong and go win another one.
- Lost your job? Good. You can build something of your own or stretch your horizons to look for something that makes you truly happy.
- Broken relationship? Good. You get to work on yourself and win it back.
- Didn’t get promoted? Good. More time to get better and sharpen the saw.
- Didn’t get funded? Good. You own more of the company.
- Didn’t get the job you wanted? Good. Go out, gain more experience, and build a better resume.
- Got injured? Good. Needed a break from training.
- Got tapped out? Good. It’s better to tap out in training than to tap out on the street.
- Got sick? Good. Spend more time reading.
- Working from Home due to Covid-19? Good. Spend more time with your family and enjoy your wine.
- Got beat? Good. You took the blows and learned when to duck. No shame in ducking and taking the swing when you are ready.
- Stuck in Traffic? Good. Listen to your favorite music, or do what I do. I don’t mind getting stuck in traffic. I actually call my friends or family members to catch up with them.
- Unexpected problems? Good. You have an opportunity to figure out a solution.
That’s it. When things are going bad, don’t get all bummed out, don’t get startled, don’t get frustrated. You are surely going to feel shitty about the situation and get messed up in the head. Acknowledge the situation, soak in your feelings, don’t try to fight it, or ignore it or run away from it.
After you have allowed yourself to assess the situation, analyzed the damage that it has done, take a deep breath (trust me it works), just look at the issue and say — “Good.”
Now, it does not mean that you have to sound like some Mr. Smiley Positive Guy. This guy ignores the hard truth. This guy thinks that just having a positive attitude will solve problems. It won’t. And neither will dwelling on the problem help.
Rather accept the reality, and start focusing on the solution.
Take that issue, take that setback, take that problem, and turn it into something good. Go forward.
There Is Good Even in Death
But wait you are now thinking — How does “Good” apply to the worst of losses, the death of a loved one? It is easy to think that there is nothing “good” in death.
But then you need to remember the people you have lost throughout your life; the memories of them, the experiences, the fun, their unique personalities, and everything they gave you. Not only in their life, but in their death.
What their life taught you, and what their death taught you. The mark they have left on you. When you console yourself you realize, that there is good; even in death, there can be good.
Over the years, we all have lost some loved ones. Some of them too early. I lost my dad when I was 5 years old. But the way I look at it, I was lucky to have had that person in my life; even if it was only for a short time — too short a time — at least I got that.
Those precious moments, those unforgettable memories, at least I got those and got to experience those times — to know the beauty of their personality, their attitude, their outlook on the world. They were all unique, and I am thankful for the opportunity I had to interact with them.
But then comes death. You can’t obviously say — “Good” in this case. That would make you a wicked person. (well, until and unless this person has done physical harm to you or killed someone whom you love).
Death is horrible and death is wretched and death is cruel. And death isn’t fair. And I don’t know why the best people seem to be taken from us first. Death is also inescapable. There is no way out. No one gets out alive. Death is part of life, like the contrast between the darkness and the light.
Without death, there is no life. And the people that I have lost, they taught me that. They taught me how precious life is. How blessed we are to have every day. To learn. To grow. To laugh. To Love. To Live.
To live every day with purpose and passion. To wake up in the morning and be thankful — thankful for that morning — thankful for that opportunity to go into the world and live. So live for them, for those who didn’t get the opportunity. For those who were stolen away by death’s cruel hand.
For them, you will live. You will revere their memory and you will live. So, let us cry no more. Let us mourn no more. Let us remember — but let us not dwell.
Instead, let us laugh and love and let us embrace and venerate everything that life is and every opportunity it gives us. Let us LIVE — for those WHO live no more. Let us live to honor them.
Final Thoughts
To be able to move forward from whatever disaster or obstacle that is in your way right now (or anything that rears its ugly head in the future), just say the word — “Good”.
Saying this drives a powerful positive emotion in your brain. It allows you to clear the storm clouds from your head. And this is the only perspective that will help you get back on your feet and get going. Nothing else will.
And when you get going again, it means you are still alive. It means you are still breathing. And if you’re still breathing, that means you still have got some fight left in you.
So get up, dust off, reload, re-calibrate, re-engage. And go out and reclaim your life.
In my publication Any Given Sunday, I mostly write stories about parenting, being a dad, motivation, fitness, and some off-beat controversial topics.
I am also very passionate about F1, and run a publication — Formula One Forever where writers from across the globe contribute to this publication
Some more thought-provoking stories from Any Given Sunday —
Dad Stories
⭐ Say Hello! To The 4 Year Old Forrest Gump
⭐ If You Don’t Pick Up Your Kids Now, You’ll Surely Regret Later
⭐ How to Extract A Commitment From Your Teenager?
⭐ That Day When Dads Took Charge Of Their Kids For 1 Day
⭐ Your Kids Need To Sleep For Atleast 8 Hours. Otherwise, The Consequences Are Quite Severe
⭐ Teachers, Stop Asking Children To Click Pictures. Instead, Do This One Thing
⭐ If a 9 Year & 4 Year Old Can Climb 69 Floors, What’s Really Stopping You?
⭐ The Real Truth About The Discovery Of The Indus Valley Civilization
Motivational Stories
⭐ If I Miss A Rep, I Punish Myself. And The Results Are Amazing.
⭐ Top 15 Quotes from The Navy Seals That Will Motivate The Hell Out Of You Everyday.
⭐ 5 Simple Reasons You Are Not Motivated, And What You Need To Do About It.
⭐ To Merely Want to Do Something Is Not Enough. You Need To Take Action.
⭐ To Earn Respect, You Have To Look Sharp
⭐ How To Manage Negative Talk From Negative People?
⭐ Making Promises To Yourself Don’t Work. Never Will.
⭐ When Disaster Strikes, Just Say The Four Letter Word.
⭐ Fail You Must. History Is Full Of People Who Failed & Bounced Back
⭐ Achieve Personal Glory By Embracing Your Challenges With Open Arms.
⭐ Why You Should Apply For A Job That Says, “Men Wanted For Hazardous Journey”
⭐ Be Different. Become Different
Off-Beat Stories
⭐ The Information Tsunami Is Sucking You In. And You Don’t Even Know It. (Part 1)
⭐ The Information Tsunami Is Sucking You In. And You Don’t Even Know It. (Part 2)
⭐ Women Should Stop Trying To Walk Shoulder To Shoulder With Men (Part 1)
⭐ Women Should Stop Trying To Walk Shoulder To Shoulder With Men (Part 2)
⭐ Women Should Stop Trying To Walk Shoulder To Shoulder With Men (Part 3)
⭐ 26 Amazing (Or Not) Things That We All Can Do During Humanity’s Downtime
⭐ Trust Your Common Sense To Beat The CoronaVirus
⭐ Why 2500 deaths/day is Creating a Bigger Panic and Emergency than 17,000 Children deaths/day?
