daily reflections: why doing good won’t fix something bad

Remember when your parents said that eating an extra fruit won’t make up for the chips you’re munching on? Turns out, there’s some hidden wisdom in that simple advice.

Adding a positive to a negative doesn’t cancel out the negative. The only way to truly eliminate a negative is to remove it entirely. Of course, as some of us know, certain negative things are part of life and can’t simply be erased.

This principle seems to appear in various aspects of life. Here are a few that come to mind:

• How one wrong move can ruin your reputation, no matter how much good you’ve done.

• Why exercising doesn’t undo the harm of consistently unhealthy eating.

• Why people quit high-paying jobs with toxic cultures, even if the compensation seems to “make up” for it.

Going back to fundamentals 
Or what makes a wrong wrong

The inability of positives to cancel out negatives lies in the fact that they’re fundamentally different in nature. They’re not interchangeable or part of a single equation where one can simply "neutralize" the other. Let’s dive deeper:

1. Separate impacts and values

   Positive and negative actions or outcomes often affect entirely different aspects of a situation. For instance, exercising improves fitness, but it doesn’t cleanse the body of all the negative effects of junk food like excess calories or harmful substances. Similarly, a toxic workplace culture undermines mental well-being in ways that higher pay cannot compensate for.

2. Irreversibility of certain negatives

   Some negative actions or consequences have lasting or permanent effects. A mistake that damages your reputation can leave a long shadow, even if you work hard to redeem yourself. Likewise, prolonged unhealthy habits can cause irreversible damage to health that no amount of future positive habits can completely undo.

3. Psychological weight of negatives

   Negative experiences often carry more emotional or psychological weight than positives. A single insult can outweigh multiple compliments because our brains are wired to prioritize threats and negative outcomes. This disproportionate impact makes it harder for positives to offset negatives in our lives.

So now what? 
It’s never too late

There’s always room for change. People make mistakes. The difficulty is always in making the change. Even now, I still fail to make certain changes to my life that would significantly benefit me — which opens up another question: why do we sabotage ourselves?

1. Address each issue separately

Avoid the temptation to compensate for negatives with unrelated positives. For instance, you can’t fix unhealthy eating by exercising more, nor can you balance poor workplace culture with a higher paycheck. Focus on resolving the root problem directly, whether it’s improving your diet or addressing workplace toxicity.

This often requires self-awareness and honesty. We may already know what needs to be done but avoid taking action due to fear, pride, or convenience. Confronting these barriers is crucial to truly moving forward.

2. Avoid irreversible actions

Understand the nature of certain negatives and prioritize prevention. Irreversible actions—like betraying trust, damaging your reputation, or neglecting your health for too long—should be avoided at all costs. These consequences often linger and can take years, if not a lifetime, to overcome.

3. Focus on alignment, not compensation

Instead of thinking about positives as a way to balance out negatives, aim for alignment in your efforts. Make decisions that support your broader goals and values, whether that’s fostering better relationships, maintaining your health, or prioritizing a fulfilling career. This approach reduces the likelihood of introducing negatives in the first place.

4. Acknowledge the power of small actions

While negatives can have outsized impacts, small positive steps still matter. They may not completely negate the negatives, but they build resilience and create momentum for change. For example, even if you can’t undo a health issue, adopting healthier habits can improve your quality of life moving forward.

By recognizing the unique roles and impacts of positives and negatives, we can make more intentional decisions, avoid preventable mistakes, and focus on genuine growth and well-being.

And that’s it. Thanks for reading.

Nothing can right a wrong except by making it right,
Joesurf