Life Is A Never-Ending Rollercoaster Of Ups And Downs — How You Choose To Master Them Determines Your Outcome

Life is about experiencing new things – to be happy, healthy, positive, helpful, caring, calm, and content. At least, those are my priorities and goals.

What would you learn if life were to go in one preferred direction only? Your views may be entitlement, arrogance, lack of empathy, and a self-centered mind.

Yet the reality is much different. Wonderful experiences happen in one moment, but they can shortly be followed by unpleasant and confusing situations.

How you respond to pleasant and negative situations is what keeps a balanced, clear, and controlled mind. Staying calm and collected is probably the most vital response to any unpleasant situation.

Positive and negative life experiences happen all the time

These can be minor or major incidences.

The one big life lesson I’ve learned is that nothing is ever as bad as it may first seem.

On the downside:

You get your phone stolen — sure, that sucks, but it’s replaceable.

If someone cuts you off driving and you crash, that isn’t good. But as long as you’re alive, you can pick up the pieces and move on.

Your house gets broken into — another unpleasant experience. But that, too, will pass.

Your bank account gets hacked and money is stolen. Sure, that’s a terrible one, but as long as you keep on fighting or talking with the bank you can usually find a solution.

You fall in love and trust someone too quickly — it turns out they are not who you thought they were.

That’s life, not the end of the world — so pick yourself up, learn from the mistake, move on, and be more careful next time.

On the upside:

You get a big promotion or write a best-selling book and make much more money. That’s great, but don’t overvalue that sensation, either. Instead, keep it within reason, remain modest, and focus on your next move.

You are suddenly getting lots of praise and compliments for your achievements. Of course, that’s always a wonderful feeling, but don’t let it go to your head — there’s always another challenge ahead.

Things are smooth sailing, and everything is falling into place — great! But, be careful — there may be a deep pot-hole waiting for you around the next corner.

Stay cautious and aware.

Choose your response wisely for a better life 

If a completely unexpected and shocking situation suddenly hits you, staying calm and thinking before reacting is vital.

Those occurrences can easily send your brain into “panic mode,“ meaning you’ll only make things worse and not solve a thing.

Staying focused and in control in the face of adversity is a start to solving problems.

A calm and clear mind can compute the challenge rationally while leaving confusing emotions out of the equation.

If you respond with anger, you’re only hurting yourself while giving someone the satisfaction of thinking they got to you and won.

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It’s hard to read people

People can turn from being lovely to nasty without warning. That’s human nature, and there’s nothing you can do about it other than to be aware of this possibility instead of being naive.

You thought the best of someone, trusted and felt safe around them — it felt wonderful. But then they suddenly changed and showed their true colors.

Be grateful — you’ve been given a free pass to walk away.

Again, these can be minor or significant encounters. It can happen at any time.

Almost everyone is unpredictable. Unfortunately, few people you’ll ever meet are honest, genuine, and have your best interests in mind.

That being said, some do and always will — so keep looking and never give up.

And that’s why it’s equally important never to be pessimistic or give up trying.

Always give the benefit of the doubt but go more slowly and set boundaries.

You choose your life destiny

You can’t make everyone happy — if you try, you’ll make yourself unhappy.

It’s better to stop trying to please. Instead, respect your values, principles, and autonomy and be honest with people.

The good people will then follow you.

Nobody cares how difficult your life or situation is — everyone has their problems and struggles.

You must look after yourself and invest in your physical and mental health because nobody else will.

Looking after you first and foremost isn’t being selfish. It’s the most worthwhile thing you can do for yourself and others.

Give your mind peace — you deserve it.

Be careful who you spend your time with. Instead, try spending most of your time with yourself, creating the life of your dreams by taking actions that stimulate your mind and make you feel good.

Choose wisely what you do with your time. It’s not endless.

You may also enjoy my related story:

First You Must Heal Your Body, and Then Your Mindset Will Fix Itself Provided Your Environment Is Right!

Final Thoughts

Life will always consist of positives and negatives — keeping things in perspective is key.

That’s life and what the human brain needs to learn to navigate situations more effectively with less friction and for better outcomes.

Most things are out of your control, so don’t try to control them.

Process challenging times calmly, then lock that memory away in a little box deep in your mind and return to what matters.

Your life!

Rob