Hello! 👋 

Welcome to Issue 10 of the weekly Chronic Evolution newsletter, where I share mindfulness tips, tricks, and anecdotes to help you evolve your mindset in 5 minutes or less.

Let’s get right into it.

Is Bad Luck Actually Good Luck in Disguise?

In just two minutes, a farmer, a horse, and a string of events made me question everything I thought I knew about luck.

I’m talking about the Chinese Farmer Story.

If you haven’t heard it before, it goes like this (according to Alan Watts):

Once upon a time, there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”

The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”

The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”

The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.

I first heard this story a few years back when flipping through the pages of a book. It only took a few minutes to read, but the passage has stuck with me throughout the years.

Here are the five biggest takeaways I gleaned from the Chinese Farmer Story that have helped me to live a more peaceful life.

Lesson 1: Lean into life’s unpredictability

What if instead of categorizing events as good or bad, you detached from expectations and outcomes and leaned into the uncertainty of life?

As a Judging personality type that craves order, predictability, and security, that statement scares me. I have a 5-year plan for my 5-year plan. But my resistance to this approach makes it all the more necessary to adopt.

When you can find opportunities in any situation, it opens you up to embrace the journey of life courageously and open-heartedly.

Lesson 2: Reserve judgment

You only get to see small snapshots of life in the present moment. How could you possibly know if an event is fortunate or unfortunate when you’ve yet to see all of the second and third-order ripple effects that will flow from this one moment in time?

In the midst of severe chronic pain, I labeled that a “bad” experience. But going through it ultimately forced me to design a business and a lifestyle that suited my needs at the time and my personality. Now, I’m grateful for the pain and the self-awareness it brought me.

Bottom line: Allow events to unfold so you can see the bigger picture before passing judgment.

Lesson 3: Harness the power of perspective

You can turn an unfortunate situation into a fortunate one by changing your perspective.

In the words of Abraham-Hicks, “Every subject is really two subjects, with what is wanted on one end and the absence of what is wanted on the other end.”

What end of the stick have you been focusing on lately – that which is wanted or the lack of what you desire?

Takeaway: Whenever something happens in your life that has you feeling down, try examining it from multiple different angles. Maybe there are potential opportunities to be found in trying times.

Lesson 4: It’s all interconnected

Life is integrated and complex, and events don’t happen in isolation. The consequences of one decision might ripple so far out that you lose track of the interconnected puzzle pieces. This means that what may first appear as misfortune could result in unexpected benefits – but seemingly positive fortune may bring challenges with it, too.

Lesson 5: Staying grounded gets you further

When you can stay calm and balanced – regardless of your external circumstances – you've won the game of life.

This means emotions no longer dictate how you think, feel, or behave. You’re free to go through life’s highs and lows with a sense of calmness and stability. Pair this with resilience, and you’ll feel confident in your ability to recover from any setbacks life throws at you.

That’s so much more peaceful than letting what does or does not happen on any given day dictate how you show up to the world.

Final thoughts

I’m sure there are many more lessons to be learned from this man, his horse, and his refreshing outlook on life – but if you’re looking to feel a little more grounded in this chaotic world, these five are a good place to start.

What did I miss? Hit reply and let me know. I’d love to hear what insights this sparked for you.

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To your chronic evolution,

Carly 

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