One of the best pieces of advice that my dad ever gave me was, “John, nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems.”
Over time, I’ve come to not only accept this as a universal truism. But I’ve passed the advice along to numerous friends who are either: (1) in over their head; or (2) delusionally optimistic.
Nothing is ever as good as it seems.
There are lots of good things in life. There are lots of great things in life. But it’s important to remember that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Not to sound like a pessimist, but everyone has a motive. That said, not all motives are bad.
People are selfish. As a result, they’re going to make decisions based on their own self-interest. It’s not wrong. In fact, I’d argue that it’s healthy. And that anyone who claims to be completely selfless is completely lying.
Think about it. Why do you volunteer? Because it makes you feel good. Yes, it’s good to help other people. But in the end, you do it because it makes you feel better about yourself.
So, when you find yourself confronted with an opportunity that seems too good to be true, ask yourself if it’s really as great as it seems. You may find after careful scrutiny that the opportunity is truly amazing. In that case, strike while the iron is hot and run with it.
But you may discover that it’s really not everything it’s cracked up to be. Remember, the grass is always greener.
I’m not suggesting that ridiculously amazing opportunities don’t exist. I’m just saying, “Be careful.” As with anything, take an honest look at both sides because the easiest person to deceive is yourself.
Nothing is ever as bad as it seems.
In times of trouble, it’s easy to exaggerate the severity of the situation. In general, it’s not that serious. Yes, there are times when you’re in deep shit. But by and large, it’s just not that serious.
No matter how bad things get. The sun will rise tomorrow. That’s the nice thing about days. You get a new one every day.
If yesterday was God-awful, just try again today. If today goes poorly, try again tomorrow.
Persist through it all and eventually, you’ll end up on top. Remember, nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems.
Did you enjoy this article? Leave a comment and share your thoughts or ask a question.
Oh yes, I’m beginning to learn that too. I freaked out every single day for a whole month because I was taking students to a competition and it was my first time taking students (numerous times myself, competing). I was so nervous I thought maybe I would rub up on them. They were totally fine.
It is so easy to think that you are missing something or that something will go wrong. If you take a close look at all of the trips that you have planned over the course of your career, you will probably find that more than 90% of them went off without a hitch.
The problem is that we have a tendency to blow things out of proportion in our own minds, good and bad. The best thing that you can do when you feel too sure or too unsure of yourself is to ask your mentors if your thinking is out of proportion to the situation. A lot of times, they can help you calm down and look at things from a new perspective.
I just mostly got demoted at work. Still keep salary. They’re calling it a “realignment”. I feel disappointed with myself and kind of mad. I googled “nothing is as bad as it seems” and got here. I guess the promotion at this point in my life (a lot going on personally) certainly wasn’t as good as it seemed, the management training certainly wasn’t good, period. Although I know this isn’t the end of the world, right now it still pretty much sucks. It’s bad, but I know in a few months and weeks it won’t be as bad as it seems right now.