What If it All Works Out for the Best?
Best-case scenario thinking.
My car died a few weeks ago. It turned out to be the battery, which cost me a few hundred dollars because it’s a hybrid, but thankfully it wasn’t “need to get a new car” dead. Still, at the time, I freaked out pretty hard and was having a bit of a panic attack. So, I called a friend who is good at keeping calm in an emergency.
As I paced the hallway talking to him, he asked me what the worst-case scenario was. I said that I would need to get a new car. He reminded me that having to get a new car isn’t that bad. My credit is good and I can afford a car payment right now, so that’s not a huge deal. On top of that, and more importantly, nobody is hurt or dead.
Next, he asked a question that I almost never hear: what’s the best-case scenario? I was kind of taken aback and didn’t know how to answer, so he filled it in for me: they take my car into the shop, it’s something small like a fuse, and I’m out a few hundred dollars for the tow and shop fees plus a couple of bucks for a minor part.
That actually helped calm me down significantly. My brain tends to spin out so many worst-case scenarios that I get wrapped up in the premise of somebody dying or becoming bankrupt that I never consider the best-case scenario.
I have had the “end of the world” mindset on so many things that have happened to me, and it rarely comes to pass. Generally, the outcome of something I dread is somewhere in the mid-range scenario, and it often turns out fairly well with minimal pain and suffering. The result is that I freaked out over nothing or otherwise panicked over what ultimately was very minor.
In this day and age, I think that we all tend to think in apocalyptic terms without considering what the not-so-apocalyptic options are. It’s incredibly easy, too — politics are in flux throughout the world, climate change isn’t getting any better, and nobody seems to be able to do anything about it. Looking at it that way, it’s easy to feel like the sky is falling.
As a result, this mentality transfers to our personal lives. Things that are minor inconveniences seem like major problems, and the potential for low-level negative outcomes becomes a panic-inducing nightmare.
Not everything is going to turn out for the worst, though. Honestly, most things won’t turn out for the worst. Worst-case scenarios are fairly rare in my experience. That’s not to say they don’t happen — bad stuff happens a lot — but the benefit of perspective helps.
So, the next time you’re faced with a problem, try considering the best-case scenario too. It may not come to pass — I spent $600 to jump my car and replace the battery — but it can help calm you down and remind you that it’s not all bad. Yeah, the worst outcome might happen, but the best outcome could happen too. So stop, take a breath, and ask yourself “what if it all works out for the best?” Because it absolutely could.
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