I just heard someone say this recently. They were being entirely serious.

The thing is, there’s no such thing.

Too often people who’ve been fired or laid off, divorced, injured, or received other bad news, react as if that is it. Their life is over.

That attitude comes from lacking perspective.

Life is a marathon. If you’re laid off when you’re 30, it’s hard for some to keep in mind you probably have 50 or 60 years to go. And a lot can and will happen in that time.

The key is to look past the significant negative event that just happened and look ahead. There will be more jobs. There will be more relationships. Your body and mind can heal. Bad news gets replaced by good news.

And, all of that may happen again.

Life is about the journey. The ups and the downs. The key is to put yourself out there. Create as many opportunities as possible and explore them all.

Some will be great. Others… not so much. But you’ll learn from all of them and gain valuable experience that will inform everything that comes next.

Your life can’t be ruined. Even in the worst possible instances, like going to jail or being the victim of an invasive, heinous crime, something good can come of it.

I’m aware that’s easy of me to say. But look at how many rape survivors are out there helping other victims of this horrible crime.

The worse the event, the harder it is to turn it into a positive.

But the fact is, your life can only be ruined if you let it remain in that state. Look ahead, and try and do something or meet someone new every day. Life can change in an instant.

Get ready to embrace it.