Reversal of Fortune

“I’ve been poor and I’ve been rich. Rich is better.”

The above is an old quote, and there’s a lot of speculation about who said it first.

Funny as the quote is, a positive reversal of fortune can cause as much anxiety as a negative one. Identity shifts can be difficult either way.

For example, I have seen teachers promoted to supervisors and personal trainers promoted to managers. The tradeoffs for more money and prestige can be: feeling lonely; missing the interactive work they were doing previously; and losing the close connection they once had with co-workers they are now managing. They need to develop relationships with supervisors or managers on their own level.

Sometimes this can be satisfying, sometimes not. If they haven’t been prepared for their new role, they can find themselves acting in the negative ways their parents did when they supervise or manage others.

Some people learn to make a successful adjustment over time. Others conclude that they made a mistake “moving up.” They either unhappily stay in their new position or find a different opportunity to return to the work and companionship they have missed with a new appreciation.

Another example is going from healthy to sick and vice versa. Some people who go from healthy to terminally ill get in touch with their humanity in the last days of their life. They become kinder to others and are more appreciative of the good aspects of the lives they led.

What began as a tragedy turned into a spiritual exploration.