How do you respond when things don’t turn out as you hoped they would?
It was lovely to pause for a chat with my friend, Cameron Airen recently. It had been a while since our previous recorded conversation (back in 2018). A lot has changed for all of us since then! Cam is no exception.
On this weeks episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast, we discuss what happens when things don’t turn out as hoped. We explore areas of work/business, relationships, and hobbies. How do we not take it personally when our endeavours don’t turn out as we hoped? What tells us when it’s time to cut our losses and let go? How do we get through it? How do we know where to go next?
Cameron and I discussed how we rarely hear people discuss things going wrong, but it’s refreshing to do so. It helps us feel less lonely and more connected. I want to amplify those people trying to muddle along, living meaningful lives in ordinary ways. This might also serve as a small antidote to the dehumanising effects of celebrity culture, where we focus on turning people we don’t know into gods and monsters for entertainment.
Role Models in Real Life
I want to avoid Survivorship Bias as much as possible by sharing incomplete stories that do not have neat endings that wind up at the destination of “All’s Well That Ends Well”. So it was strangely satisfying to talk about situations where things have not turned out as hoped, and how disappointing that has been for us at times.
We need more role models who are learning to adapt to the ups and downs of everyday life. People who can roll with the punches and engage with creative spirit and purpose amid “ordinary unhappiness”.
We connect with each other on the building sites of loss, in our collective grief, and through shared moments of bittersweet melancholy. From there, we can create a more meaningful and sustainable sense of hope for the future.
