One of the little changes I’ve been happy about making over the past couple of years is not asking “why me?” when things don’t work out.
This change was due to a story I shared here a few years back. When tennis legend Arthur Ashe announced he had contracted HIV due to a poorly administered blood transfusion procedure after a heart surgery, he received letters from fans who asked why, of all people, had he been chosen to have AIDS?
To this Arthur Ashe reportedly replied – “The world over– 50,000,000 children start playing tennis, 5,000,000 learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach the grand slams, 50 reach the Wimbledon, 4 make the semi finals and 2 make the finals. When I was the one holding the cup, I never asked god “Why me?”.
It is a story that has stuck with me since.
If I’m not asking “why me?” when things do work, I have no right to ask “why me?” when things don’t.
Thank you for the gift of perspective, Arthur.
A Learning a Day 