Have you ever eaten roadkill? I did a few times growing up in West Virginia. Some of it’s fine – chunks of rabbit or squirrel, or groundhog in a stew. Opossum, however – truly nasty stuff. Gack, I can still remember trying to vomit so the taste in my mouth would be obliterated with stuff previously in my stomach. Not being a foodie and nervous about trying new foods, I’ve pulled up that memory when I’ve traveled internationally and am staring at a plate of something unsavory looking that my host recommends. “Hey,” I think, “it can’t be worse than possum.” And I eat it.
One time in Boy Scouts I was “recruited” to help clean out a pit toilet that the new EPA decided was now too close to the river. Being small and easily intimidated, I was the kid lowered into the pit with a shovel and bucket. The only thing that kept me from passing out from the smell and texture was the fear that I’d faint and drown in this crap (literally). Afterwards I used a whole bottle of Head & Shoulders to get the smell out of my hair, and burned my clothes as a hopeless cause. I pull up that memory when I’m faced with an unpleasant job or task. “Hey,” I think, “it can’t be worse than cleaning out the pit toilet.”
Ever had a horrible boss? It’s useful to say, “Hey, it can’t be worse than _______ was, and I survived that and even learned a few things.” If a person can’t be anything else he or she can at least be a bad example.
How could you profitably use your worst experiences and memories as ways to help you move forward?
