Negative or positive

It is common to associate these two words with the turn of events. If something goes wrong, it is negative. If something goes well, it is positive.

But this classification is often unhelpful and unhealthy.

Things happen because it’s the nature of things to happen. Negative or positive is the story we tell about the things that happen based on our expectations and experiences.

The outcome of a decision may be successful based on the metrics we set out to measure success by. But is it negative or positive if the unintended consequences of that success aren’t worth the cost?

You got denied access to something you’ve eternally craved. Is it negative or positive if that leads you to a new path you now find grace and fulfillment?

You take an action that results in a poor outcome. You launch a new project that does so well. You meet someone you can be open with. You lose touch with someone you’ve once loved.

Each of these becomes your [version of] Schrödinger’s cat. It is negative or positive, only when you make it so.