What does it mean when bad things happen to good people? Synonyms of bad as defined by Merriam-Webster are crummy, lame, lousy, sour, suboptimal, subpar, unacceptable, unsatisfactory and wrong.
If you are a good person, why do things go wrong or turn out lousy and feel unacceptable? I think that this is a great question worth exploring to expand on lifetime truth, improving quality of life and the concept of reciprocity as it relates to good people.
So, when bad things happen to good people is there a reason? For me, I believe that everything happens for a reason. In my last post, I script about living life on purpose and that life without purpose is not the truth.
Therefore, the following question comes to mind when I think about when bad things happen to good people; are the bad things always intentional? Do the unexpected occurrences have to be all bad?
Define the Bad Things
A prime example of a bad thing is an unforeseen layoff. Why would such a lousy thing happen to a good person. To me, a layoff is something that is not intentional although it is very easy for those that are impacted to feel that it is.
However, relative and real reasons for layoffs are budget cuts, AI intercepts or simply a true lack of work.
“Have you ever made things so efficient in the workplace that you ended up working yourself out of a job?”
An example of a recent and most likely unexpected layoff that impacted 400 workers was only a few weeks ago on July 29, 2019 at Uber:
The video states that Uber just went public in May. My question is, how many of the 400 marketing employees are good people. Will these people be better off or worse off?
For Better of For Worse
From someone with firsthand knowledge of such a crummy happening, the outcome of a layoff is not always “all bad.” In my case, I was provided the opportunity to stay and see the company divestiture to the end in which I accepted the opportunity with a contingent bonus.
Yet, as someone impacted by the recession in 2008-2010, I found myself in fear of unemployment so I began job searching even though I accepted the opportunity to stay.
A short while later, I was offered an opportunity to employ a University that I was eager to work for and the role, in my mind, was my dream job. Accounting, administration and a very decent office.
“With my passion for education and what I declared as my elite University, I felt on top of the World!”
I was extremely happy and content in my newfound freedom, so for me, the good ended up outweighing the bad. On the other hand, and rightfully so, I lost out on the bonus to stay at the former company.
I did, however, provide adequate notice and effective training on my responsibilities. Do you think that I was wrong for leaving? I felt that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I took it.
Besides, my job would eventually end at the former company.. right?
In any case, the trade-off of forfeiting the bonus was an opportunity to pursue my MBA degree for only 15% of the cost (at least for the first year). Even so, what I labeled as a lousy occurrence, being faced with a layoff, resulted in a dream come true; at least for the moment.
Today, my determination is to keep dreaming for the next remarkable dream to reality come true; preferably in my lifetime truth.
Life’s Journey
We will always experience ebbs and flows throughout our life’s journey, but each journey does not have to be all bad. For me, I believe that a very key factor is to stay positive in your truth; regardless.
What’s more, when we are faced with times of discouragement, you should surround yourself with people who get it, as scripted in my post, “Surround Yourself with People Who Get It.. Right?”
Finally, never give up on your lifetime truth or your dreams to reality. Believe in power of determination and intentional reciprocity for the good. I am a witness that outcomes are not always all bad.
“Stay steadfast in your purpose and lifetime truth.”
More detail on the theme of power of determination is in my post, “Why is Determination Important?”
Conclusion
#lifetimetruth
