Sometimes, Not Getting What You Want Is The Best Thing That Could Happen To You
When rejection points you in the right direction
Picture this: You’re sitting at the bar top with your friends, upset because you thought your ex would be your wife.
“Don’t worry! You’ll find better!” your friends claim. Their theory doesn’t even register.
Just a few years ago, you went through a breakup that led you to someone better. But this time is the end of the world, right?
Although it may never seem like it at the time, not getting what you want often leads to something better.
Sometimes it’s the best thing that could ever happen to you.
I’m going to tell you 3 quick stories to demonstrate my point.
Career change
After dropping out of university, I somehow ended up in the life insurance industry. While it was really random in some ways, in others it was not. After all, my dad and step-mom were both in the industry.
At first, I felt out of place, but over time, it made sense. I was following in my dad’s footsteps.
Just when I was starting to accept that this would be my career, the difficulties started to appear. It turns out, it’s really hard to convince people my age (I was 21) to buy life insurance.
What kind of 21-year-old wants to think about dying?
Although I wanted to prove to my dad that I could make a go at it, I decided to take a different path and try random things I like. One of those things was DJing.
Long story short, DJing led me to helping manage a club, which led to me becoming a club promoter and owning a club. Ultimately, it randomly led me to where I am now.
I wanted to be successful in the insurance industry, but it didn’t happen.
The outcome?
Quite possibly the best thing I could have asked for… The journey of entrepreneurship.
Losing a business
Unfortunately, thanks to the 2020 lockdowns, we had to shut the doors of my nightclub.
I didn’t realize how much of an impact the nightclub had on my life. It had become my identity.
Having my identity shattered and shut down, I was thrown into a spiral which took multiple years to recover from.
Truth be told, I feel like I’m only now finally recovering.
Of course, I did not want my club to shut down, but the outcome was a journey of growth, which was exactly what I needed.
Over the years, I dove down a spiritual path, learned more about myself and started to take my health more seriously.
I also went sober for over a year, developed many healthy habits including reading, meditation and journaling.
And, I ended up opening the restaurant I have now.
The outcome of not getting what I wanted was growing into a better version of myself.
The restaurant dilemma
This story is a lot simpler and one that everyone can relate to.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gone to restaurants, wanted to order something I usually get only to be told they’re out.
Because of that, I end up trying something new and falling in love.
Sometimes it’s a bowl of soup or a cut of steak, and other times it’s a specific cocktail or wine.
It’s a simple example of how not getting what you want will lead you to discover things you never would have found otherwise.
Closing thoughts
It can be very difficult when something doesn’t go your way to remember that it can be for the better.
But when things go wrong, do your best to take a step back and look at it optimistically.
Quite often, in the end, everything works out for the better.
Thanks for reading