Has anything bad happen in your life that has turned out well, like the proverbial blessing in disguise? What’s the worst thing that has happened to you that has turned out well? Or that bad thing which has reversed fortunes most?

Without exception, for everything that has happened to me that I viewed negatively at the time it happened, I can plausibly point to something great that came out of it. Sometimes, that great outcome came from something I did in reaction. Other times, it came from consequences causing change that provided me with opportunities I would not have had otherwise. My list of great outcomes from my misfortunes, if each were viewed on its own, is incredibly long and compelling. The list is so convincing that I would not change anything negative from my past if I were given the chance! That’s not out of fear of what the unknown may hold, given my life is quite good today. That’s from clarity of how much net positive impact every initially, negatively perceived event in my life has turned out to be, including some that took decades to confirm.

Despite the strong belief I have that everything that happens to me happens for a great reason, whether I know it then or not, I never brush off everything negative that happens to me. The reason I am able to have that belief is from how I have handled the negative events in my life. I analyzed them to learn from them, then took actions to mitigate their impact and/or mitigate their chances of recurring, if I could. Where it wasn’t clear what could be done were the only instances where I carried this belief on faith rather than reason. However, where I have made my own luck, Fate has usually chipped in generously.

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This post is one of 70 quotes I wrote, each with an accompanying essay, in my e-book and paperback Stars I Put in my Sky to Live By, on Amazon or Smashwords (choose your price including free!).