Best Advice: This Too Shall Pass
Randy Kessler
Family Law Attorney, Media Contributor, Emory Law Professor, LinkedIn Influencer (400k followers)
In this series, professionals share the words of wisdom that made all the difference in their lives. Follow the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #BestAdvice in the body of your post).
Truer words may never have been spoken. There will come a time for each of us, when we think we will not make it. I have seen this fear countless times in the faces and voices of my divorce clients.
This proverbial advice has been attributed to many sources but has generally come to be understood (per Wikipedia) as “an adage indicating that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary.”
I heard the advice from a client years ago describing his own difficult situation, and I have used it ever since to help calm clients when they think they cannot make it (apparently Abraham Lincoln also used it). People think that without their spouse or children living with them, or without their current home, things will end. And certainly there are much worse, much more serious examples, but the world goes on and tomorrow comes. So when you think there is no way you can face the events of the time, recall this quote, this adage.
It works on small problems as well as large. The event you fear will one day be behind you. The co-worker who leaves, the client who can never be satisfied, the boss who never compliments you. These things are all temporary. Of course, you may have to effectuate change, but change happens and bad things, days, events move into the past, as they must. And while this advice may seem terribly generic, that is exactly its beauty.
Worrying about tomorrow can prevent you from enjoying today. Be an optimist and enjoy the good, and know that the bad cannot last forever. And if it does, find other reason for joy. It will not only make you happier, it will make you more productive, more active, more inquisitive and more a part of this wonderful world we all share.
Accredited Broker at Regatta East Project at Prosperidad
10 年thanks for reminding.
TEAM LEAD PERSON at McCORMICK INTERNATIONAL U S A
10 年BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, I CERTAINLY WISH THAT I DO NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES AGAIN-HOWEVER- I LET GO, AND LET GOD!! THAT IS HOW I MADE IT THROUGH!!!
US & Multinational Support | Military & Civil Ops | 14 yrs USAF & ANG | Customer Service | IT Systems Admin | Site Lead | Project Mgt | Security+CE
10 年Connie Kysor I have not forgotten, and often recall this advice. Remember I did not quit you but rather our shared situation.
Co-founder at BillionairesBrain.com
10 年Well said. I recently heard a man tell his story about how he lost everything in life and became hopeless but eventually regained focus and fought life back. He used this quote "When the going gets tough, the tough gets humorous" He said, he worked his butt off but also became more and more lighthearted to be able to fight the situation instead becoming burdened with the problems.