Real talk here. We've all done it. We have all waited, somewhat patiently, for the karma train to roll in and hit someone. We place a deserving or undeserving target onto someone else's back and hope that the balance of the world finally catches up to that person. To say that you haven't ever done this would be a lie, because none of us are saints and we have all been wronged by someone.
Relationship karma is probably the most common when it comes to people wanting to see it through. He broke your heart, he cheated on you, she hooked up with the football team while you were dating. You want redemption for your tears, heartache and embarrassment. You check Facebook and find that these cheaters now have this perfect life. They have beautiful children, they go to Hawaii every year and there's a picture of his wife with a huge rock on her hand while she's sitting in her new BMW in front of her mansion of a house. Where's the karma train when you need it!?
When it comes to career karma, we often wonder when the terrible manager is going to get theirs. I haven't worked with a lot of bad people in my career, but I have certainly worked enough years to see some disappointing things or have worked with some people long enough to have them lose my respect. I have heard stories about other workplaces and enough rumors around the industry to know that there are people out there that I may not have a lot in common with and don't want to be friends with because of their actions and choices. I've been screwed over just as much as you have, but I might have a different perspective that I will share in a few with my #Tryharder message below.
We all rank qualities in a person that we admire and respect. We look for common threads of decency or like principled belief. We are all flawed in some way and have particular lines in the sand or deal breakers that we cherish in our lives and hold others to those standards. For me, I judge people by their overall truth. I can't stand liars, cheaters or people who have no interest in the betterment of others. Like you, I like people who appear to be people that are like me.
The thing about karma is that you may never see the results of it and it rarely ever turns out how you imagine it to be. You want to see the perceived bad guy "get his", but you want it by your description and vision of the punishment and that just doesn't happen very often. This isn't a movie where things get wrapped up in one hour and thirty six minutes and the bad guy gets his at the one hour and twenty seven minute mark. Karma isn't always neat, nor is it very timely.
You see the jerks and cheats of the world climb the corporate ladder, win awards, marry the prom queen and make more money than you could ever imagine. The thing you don't see is how hollow or empty these people can become. You don't see the struggle that that person has to endure on a given day or the overall lack of balance in that person’s life due to their actions. Sure, he cheated on his wife, but you don't know the guilt that he carries or the beating he takes from her on a regular basis. You don't get to witness the demons of his actions that continue to haunt him every day of his life. He deserves every bit of it, but you may never actually see your karma wishes pay off or be satisfied by the results because they don't materialize into the beautiful storyline in your head.
#Tryharder to have faith that the world has a way of balancing things out. The results may not come in the perfect, movie like, way you want them to occur, but know that we all get what we deserve in the end. You continue to live your life, do what you feel you need to do and don't let the misconduct and perceived terrible actions of others alter your trajectory or course. You are you and they are them. To harbor a need for punishment is natural, but to let it consume you is unhealthy. Your job is to live life by the expectations you set for yourself and not get sidetracked by a need for redemption; because if you are waiting for the pendulum to swing and the balance of things to come your way, you're going to be waiting a long time. Focus on you.
Don't hold your breath for karma. Just breathe and let life do its thing.
