Reflecting on recent events, I'm prompted to share a weekend thought: Outcomes shouldn't be hastily labeled. Here's why.
You bought a stock for $5,000 and sold it for $25,000. Is that “good” or “bad”?
Lots of people would say “good,” but what if I told you that seven months later, the stock was worth $100,000?
You got fired from your job and couldn’t pay your rent, so you moved across the country to live with your parents. Most people would say that was “bad”. Except that a few weeks later, you met the love of your life. A few months after that, you started a business that one day will employ 500 people.
Now, was it “bad” or “good” to get fired?
You can’t control outcomes, and you certainly can’t assess how any one outcome will serve you over the course of time. Everything is interconnected, so even tiny outcomes (i.e. the traffic light changed to red) can have ripple effects.
Do your best, invest your time and effort as wisely as possible, but don’t make the mistake of saying something is “good” or “bad”. The truth is, we have no idea.
