Business By Hormozi #147: Coping with Bad Things and Preventing the Snowball Effect

Sarah and Ben had always been close friends. They both shared a deep passion for their work and had dreams of building successful careers. But one day, Sarah received some bad news. A project she had worked tirelessly on for months was rejected. She felt devastated. And as the days went by, more small setbacks followed. Her car broke down, and then a close friend canceled plans they’d made months ago.

It felt like everything was falling apart. She confided in Ben, “Why does this always happen to me? It feels like bad things just keep piling on, one after the other.”

Ben, who had his own share of challenges, listened thoughtfully. “Bad things don’t come in threes,” he said gently. “Bad things happen. People don’t know how to cope, and they allow one bad thing to snowball into more. Bad stuff sucks. But the only thing worse is letting one bad thing ruin many good things.”

The Snowball Effect of Setbacks

Sarah didn’t fully understand what Ben meant at first. But as the days passed, she began to notice something. Each time another disappointment came her way, her reaction was the same: frustration, anger, and resentment. And instead of bouncing back from each setback, she allowed them to build on one another. Her focus shifted from finding solutions to simply dwelling on how unlucky she felt.

Ben had dealt with his fair share of setbacks too, but he had learned something crucial along the way: how to cope with bad things and prevent them from spiraling. He wasn’t immune to bad days, but he had figured out how to keep them from affecting everything else in his life. "It’s easy to let things build up and take over," he said. "But you have to learn how to deal with each challenge as it comes and not let it pile on top of the last one."

Breaking the Cycle

One evening, Sarah had a breakthrough. After another minor setback—a delayed email—she felt the familiar wave of frustration. But this time, she paused before reacting. She remembered Ben’s words and decided to try a new approach. She took a deep breath and made a conscious effort to separate this new problem from the previous ones. Instead of letting the latest disappointment join the pile of frustrations, she dealt with it independently, without letting it affect her mood or perspective.

The next day, Sarah felt a little lighter. She had taken control of her reactions, and in doing so, she had stopped the cycle of negativity. She realized that it wasn’t the bad things that hurt her most—it was her inability to cope with them in a healthy way that caused the snowball effect. By focusing on each problem as a standalone challenge, Sarah began to regain control over her life and stop one bad thing from ruining multiple good things.

A New Perspective on Setbacks

Over time, Sarah’s approach to setbacks changed. Whenever something went wrong, she would ask herself, “What’s the lesson here? What can I do differently next time?” This mindset shift allowed her to handle adversity with resilience. She no longer felt like the universe was conspiring against her. Instead, she realized that bad things were simply a part of life, but they didn’t have to define her.

Ben continued to support her throughout her journey, always reminding her, "Don’t let one bad thing ruin everything. Learn to cope, and move forward. That’s the key to success."

Conclusion

Life isn’t perfect, and setbacks are inevitable. But the way we cope with bad things can determine how they affect our lives. If we allow one setback to snowball into more, we risk letting it ruin many good things. By learning to cope, separate each challenge, and focus on solutions, we can prevent bad things from dominating our lives. It’s not the bad things that matter most—it’s how we respond to them.