The Truth Will Set You Free – Part 20 of 20

I recently read a post on Johnny B. Truant’s blog that really hit home. So much so that I wanted to do two things: share it with my readers and 2) think on and write about each piece of his post. The post is “20 Truths About Life No One Wants To Believe” and the next one I am going to tackle is:

20. Your worst-case scenario is seldom very bad. Here’s a fun game: Ask yourself “what’s the worst that could happen?” about the thing that worries you most, and then keep asking it until you can’t ask anymore. Then, when you’re at the bottom of that chain of questions, ask yourself how terrible that end result would really be. Here’s an example: I might lose my job > I wouldn’t be able to pay the bills > I would lose my house and car > I’d have to declare bankruptcy > I’d have to move in with mom/dad/grandma or bum on a friend’s couch and have a bad credit rating. Now: is that scenario really THAT bad? Did you die? Are you ruined forever and ever? Will you be tortured? The truth is that most “worst case scenarios” are merely inconvenient, uncomfortable, or embarrassing.

It’s amazing how we conflate the loss of “creature comforts” with real loss and pain.

If you’re reading this chances are the likelihood that anything truly catastrophic happening to you is very low.

Sure, tragedy can strike anyone, but the odds are long. If you’re reading this blog, you’re likely well insulated from the vagaries of human existence.

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And to dream smaller, or to not reach for what you really want, because of the “risk” is the true tragedy.

So, having put aside the risk of extraordinary tragedy or accident, we need only concern ourselves with what might happen if our plans completely unravel. And, as Johnny says so well above, it’s really no big deal if they do.