as a positive for another.
We can feel a sense of loss when something does not work out as we hope. We do not get the promotion that we feel we are entitled to. Our soccer team makes it to the finals only to lose to our longstanding rivals. Again. We finally work up the courage to ask someone out only to be told that he just started seeing someone.
In these and many other circumstances, as disappointment sets in, we feel we have lost. That we didn’t get what we wanted. And deserved. This initial reaction is understandable. We worked hard for the promotion, practiced all year for the soccer finals, took the time to help that wary person feel safe with us. And what happened?
We were rejected. We lost.
But what if we could look at this from a broader perspective? A coworker got a promotion. A team that also practiced hard won the championship. And maybe the special person has at long last found his soulmate.
Reminding ourselves that our conditions just weren’t right, let’s try to be happy for those whose conditions were.
Article originally appeared on a buddhist perspective (http://www.abuddhistperspective.org/).
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