My apologies for missing the blog last weekend (if anyone actually reads this and cares), but I had some extenuating circumstances that would not allow me to do so. These "extenuating circumstances" are actually the focus of this week's blog. I was put in another great situation somewhat similar to/somewhat different from the "awesome" lunch I had about three weeks ago (for those who don't quite get sarcasm, by "awesome" I meant it's sucked), but I think I may have done a little bit of a better job with this one. While in the midst of this incident, and subsequently afterwards, I continually attempted to assess how I got myself into this position and what I could have done differently to have prevented it. I kicked myself for not going with my gut instinct and not going through with it in the first place because of my initial feeling that I just wouldn't like it any way. I questioned how much better things would have been if it didn't happen and then a thought occurred to me. That's not the case at all. Even though the situation turned out to be somewhat of a disaster, I would not have NOT wanted it to happen for many reasons. And this is the case in life. Often, we make decisions that turn out to be wrong and then we may chastise ourselves for doing so, but in the end, it is often these "bad decisions" that give us unexpected benefits as well. Some of these are:
YOU CAN KNOW FOR SURE WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE (SHOUT OUT TO CHIEF KEEF)
As I mentioned earlier, the situation at hand involved me doing something that I initially would have never done before. I talked myself into trying it for a friend and decided why not give it a try. While I was 1000 percent correct that it was not my kind of environment or event, I wouldn't have been able to say that unequivocally had I not given it a shot. Sometimes you have to actually go through with something that you think you won't like to give yourself the affirmation this is true. As they say, you never know unless you try. And on the flip side, it could be like my discovery of fish tacos. For the longest time, I would never try them because the very concept of them sounded disgusting. Little did I know that after trying them, they would become the equivalent of the nectar to the gods to me. (I joke here, but seriously fish tacos are awesome. If you haven't tried them, you're missing out on one of the small joys of life...and quality Mexican restaurants).
YOU CAN LEARN NEW THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
So during the course of the endeavor, I was put in situations that, had I been the person I was 2.5 years ago, I would have handled entirely different. And while I admit, I didn't handle everything perfectly, I felt somewhat good about the restraint I was able to show in some of my decisions and actions. Sometimes, when we are put in situations that are less than ideal, many of our "saintly proprieties" can be tested. I was able to continue to keep my head and wits about me and make decisions that, when I look back on it, were pretty good in light of the circumstances. I had the feeling that I had grown and matured as an individual but hadn't been put in a situation that allowed me to truly test this in this capacity until last weekend. I felt good knowing that I was able to actually "practice what I preach" and continue to be positive despite being in a situation that may not have merited it at all times.
YOU CAN STILL HAVE FUN
At the end of the day, I did have a good time. While there are many things that I wish didn't happen or would have happened differently, I can't say that the trip was a "total" disaster. I did this with someone who is a good person and I consider a friend. As with anything in life, it is what you make of it, and I did my best to make it as fun as possible for myself. This can be the case in any situation in life. Whether it is a job that you hate, a person who gets on your last nerve but you have to interact with on a consistent basis, or an event that you have to attend but hate, you can make the decision of whether you are going to allow this to drag you down and be defeated or are you going to look on the bright side of things and have fun. Life is too short to allow any extended amount of time (more than about a minute) of sadness based on any situation. Take a minute and think about how you got in it, kick yourself for not making a decision that could have prevented it, and then move on to making it the best "worst" decision that you made.
As I wrote yesterday, life is a big NASCAR race. Often we are traveling along at break neck speeds and just do what we think is best at the time. In retrospect, we later realize that we should have "passed high instead of going low," but you just have to take the good with the bad and enjoy it as much as possible...and try not to wreck along the way.
Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.
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