Unforeseen Circumstances are Expected

Having things arise out of the blue can be no fun at all. Factors seemingly out of your control come in and spoil your best-laid plans. Suddenly, you’re back to the drawing board. It seems like a random, unfortunate event. You pick up the pieces and move on.

What I’ve been realising more and more, however, as I accumulate days spent on this planet, is that randomness is actually a constant. Weird, unfortunate, unforeseen things happen all the time. Their nature varies, but something always throws a spanner in the works.

If this is truly the case, you can change your perspective. Once setbacks become expected, you’re no longer as disappointing. They’re simply baked into the experience. A hurdle you’ll have to jump across at some point. Now, tomorrow, or later down the line.

Likewise, you can take ownership of situations. Dismissing things as entirely out of your control and therefore, beyond your scope of influence, might feel good as a mechanism of dissolving blame and responsibility. Yet, assuming full responsibility for the unpredictable and random presents a much sounder long-term strategy. After all, if unfortunate circumstances are going to keep popping up, you won’t be able to outrun them. Instead, you might as well create a plan for next time.

It is never ideal, but no matter what context you zoom in on, unwanted events occurs. It has taken me a while to figure out, but I think adaptability and open-mindedness are two of the most vital traits someone can possess—for this exact reason. You just never know what is around the corner. Accepting that reality makes things easier, not more difficult. With that presumption, at least you’re now free to do something about it.