VLOG—A Minute with Steven

Accepting the Bad with the Good

A long time ago, my grandmother died. She was elderly, and sick.

My father broke the news this way: “I have good news, and I have bad news. The bad news is that Grandma has passed away. The good news is that she died quickly, and did not suffer; nor did she put our family through months and months of suffering alongside of her.”

That wisdom stuck with me. I understood that there is a good aspect and a bad aspect to all situations; a happy quality and also a sad quality in all events that pass.

Here are but two other examples:

There could be an upside to getting fired from a job – it’s a new start; maybe an opportunity to start the business you’ve always dreamed about.

There could be a downside even to having a new baby – it’s an additional burden on time, emotion, and money. Sure, you love him or her, but that doesn’t negate the stress and strain of giving your new child everything needed.

Our job is to accept the good, the bad, and the ugly in every situation, and not get carried away with any of it. Stay centered right in the middle.