“Why is this happening for me?”
~Anonymous

“Why is this happening to me?” we often ask when the unwanted happens. We lose a job, our car keys, our directions, whatever – and we ask, “Why me? Why does this always happen to me?”

Recently a client was bemoaning his misfortune. “Why?” he asked. “Why did this happen to me?” I sensed him perched on the top of a very slippery slope. As soon as we ask why, it’s often like a slalom race to the bottom of the pits of despair. “This always happens,” we moan. “I never get a break. What did I do to deserve this?”

I stopped my client practically mid-sentence and asked him the quote above. “What if,” I shared, “What if the question really was, ‘why is this happening for me?’?” He was dumbstruck. Quiet filled the phone line as I waited for him to speak.

“Wow,” he shared. “I never thought of it that way. There really is something in this for me. Thanks.”

Our worst misfortunes are often either a blessing in disguise (and maybe a very, very good disguise) or a lesson for us to learn. When we are able to see and embrace the blessing, or the lesson, we often find an answer that we didn’t know we were looking for and peace we didn’t know we could ever find. There is often a gift in each misfortune – further clarity, greater peace, more space, undeniable truth – and this gift is there for the asking, if we will only pose, “Why is this happening for me?”

The next time you are bemoaning a misfortune, see if you can find, embrace, and celebrate the gift hidden within.

Why is ______ happening for you?
Please leave a comment.

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