The farmer and the horse
Non-judgmental observation
An old farmer had a single horse. One day it ran away. The neighbors wailed: 'What a catastrophe!' The farmer calmly replied: 'Maybe.' The next day the horse returned – bringing a whole herd of wild horses. 'What luck, now you're rich!' – 'Maybe.'
The day after, the farmer's son tried to ride one of the wild horses, was thrown off and broke his leg. 'What a tragedy!' – 'Maybe.' Weeks later, war broke out. The army conscripted every able-bodied young man to the front – but the son with the broken leg was left behind in safety.
Our ego draws hasty conclusions from microscopic fragments of information. We rarely know the long-term consequences of an event. Today's setback may prove to be the best thing that ever happened to you – three years from now. Stop putting quick labels on everything.
Remember a 'catastrophe' in your life that later turned out to lead to something good. What did it teach you?
When something unexpected happens today, replace judgment with curiosity: 'Interesting. Let's see where this leads.'