Life Lesson #44: Nothing Is As Bad as It Seems if You Give It Some Time
Sleeping on it is a great idea.
If I had a penny for every time I overreacted, I would be rich enough to be living on a private island with a pet alpaca.
It’s far too easy for something unexpected to catch you off guard and result in you making a rash decision that you later regret.
I’m sure this has happened to you multiple times!
Sometimes, your grandma’s advice of “just sleeping on it”, is exactly what you need to do.
Time will help your relationship decisions
One of the best things an ex ever taught me was that if we are fighting, we should go get some food, give it time, and see if we still want to argue.
This was brilliant for multiple reasons.
We have the time to think things through
We fill our stomachs with food, eliminating the “hangry” attitude.
We can reconnect and realize we are fighting for each other, not against each other
Think about this thoroughly.
How many times have you been in a fight with your partner where if you simply waited a few hours, neither of you would have cared?
Sure, maybe you’re great at holding grudges, but this time would have allowed you to think through your reasoning at the least.
Sometimes you just need to wait, zoom out, look at the bigger picture, and then talk.
This could save your relationship.
Not to mention your sanity.
People change their minds… all the time.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s in business, your relationship or with a friend. People change their minds, and people include you.
What you think might upset you now, might not upset you later. In the same way, what upset your business partner now, might not upset them later.
Giving each other, or yourself, the time, might result in you changing your mind which ultimately saves you from a lot of pain and energy wasted.
Think about it in terms of a business deal specifically.
You made an offer to buy a business, and the person immediately says no and gets pissed. You then tell them to sleep on it.
Overnight, they go home and talk to their wife, maybe they call their dad and spend time with their kids. They begin to realize that they want to spend more time with their family, and that requires selling their business. The next day they come back and accept your offer.
Now, this is a very straightforward example, but the point is there.
A little time gives anyone the space to breathe and change their mind.
Things have a way of fixing themselves
Giving anything time allows the universe the opportunity to bring in new factors. These new factors can change everything.
Someone may not want to sell their house at a low price, but then the next day, their offer on a different property gets accepted, and now they need to accept yours.
A new factor came into play, and that fixed your problem.
This can happen in any circumstance.
The market crashed
The weather changed
Someone in the family dies
Your partner breaks up with you
You ate and are no longer hangry
The air conditioner randomly starts working again
Yes, some of these examples are extreme, but these are all things that can completely change the outcome of a business deal, relationship, friendship, or family argument.
Sometimes random things can happen that fix your problem and if you would have reacted immediately, there would have been no time to allow this random thing to happen.
Time can change anything and gives you the chance to get… lucky.
So, it turns out that your grandma was right in two ways. Not only should you sleep on it, but time also can heal anything.
Sometimes, you do need to act immediately, but before making big decisions or allowing yourself to overreact, consider sleeping on it.
It’s up to you to build up the self-awareness and social intelligence to know which is right.
Thanks for reading