I often joke that I’m so used to things going wrong all the time that I’ve almost come to expect it. When things go right for an unusual length, I start suspecting that something is fishy. The ability to laugh in the face of adversity is not a superpower that I was born with. It’s come with a lot of practice. Lots of embarrassing moments, shame, guilt, regret, pain all the usual good stuff has led to this current state of mind. Much to the annoyance of my companions in misery I smirk when a stressful event occurs. It’s not a gift or a superpower. In fact here’s my secret. It’s called the five-year test.
Here’s how it works when you’re stressing out about something, or you’re worried about things turning out badly just as yourself “Will this matter in 5 years?” It’s that simple. Often we are so caught up in the present moment that we lose sight of the bigger picture. 95% of the things ( yes I totally made up that number) we stress over is totally insignificant and won’t matter in 5 days let alone five years. The next time you’re going through some stressful shit just ask yourself will this matter in 5 years? Trust me, more often than not the answer will be no, and it’ll put a smile on your face knowing everything is going to be ok. And when others see the smile, they’ll think you’re a lunatic. Then again, if you’re reading my stories, then you probably are.
Kaushal Sadashiv 