As you sit in the salon chair with the picture that took you weeks to pick out, repeatedly telling the hairdresser exactly what you like about this haircut, you realize that you are seconds away from either the best or worst decisions you may ever make.
We’ve all experienced the feeling of getting out of the salon chair feeling on top of the world, ready to take on the night and everything that comes with it. The right haircut is like lying in freshly washed sheets –comforting and satisfying. You know in that moment that you feel great and are ready to take on whatever the world throw at you.
Get a bad haircut, and you find yourself looking in the mirror at every turn, trying to convince yourself that it’s not really that bad. No matter how many people telling you the cut or color looks great, you know deep down inside that this feeling of awkwardness will be sticking around for at least the next month.
I was recently the unfortunate soul who got to live with a bad haircut. As the hairdresser turned me around in the chair, I was left speechless. It looked nothing like the photo I showed her, and I quickly realized that the endless conversation that she was having with me was a great distraction.
But what I learned in the hours after leaving the salon was life changing. When I stopped to slow down and rationally think about the crisis that had just occurred, I was left with three life lessons that rung true for not only the haircut, but the rest of my life as well.
You are not always in control, no matter how prepared you are. From researching the best haircut or color to presenting your senior thesis, this phrase holds true. No matter how many hours you put into something, you can’t dictate other people’s actions, so roll with what life hands you.
In sticky situations, you find out who your true friends are. There’s about a million people in this world that will lie to you. But when you run to your best friend and they look you in the eye saying, “we’ve been through this before and we’ll get through it again,” there’s no better feeling in the world. Whether it’s helping you pick out the perfect hat to cover your bad haircut or sticking by your side as you text your ex, your best friend instantly makes it all okay.
Everything is better with time. Even if it takes months, time will make everything better. When you’re in a sticky situation, try to remember that what may seem like the end of the world at the time will eventually pass. Time tells all and eventually you’ll look back on the situation and maybe even laugh at it.
Making the most out of a tough situation isn’t easy, but with the right outlook on life the worst haircut in the world can turn into the biggest life lessons. Maybe we do get our money’s worth at the salon after all.
