Maybe!?

“The future depends on what we do in the present” Mahatma Gandhi

Recently I watched the ESPN+ series “Man in the Arena.” In the final episode, Tom Brady shares a parable about an ancient Chinese farmer that helped shape how he viewed losses, disappointments, difficulties, and failures.

It goes something like this…

One day a Chinese farmer is working and his only horse runs away. The other workers say he had bad luck and tried to comfort him in this unfortunate event. The farmer looking at them says, “maybe.”

The very next day the horse returns with 10 more horses. His friends now celebrate not only the one horse returning but also the great fortune of now having 10 more horses. The farmer replies, “maybe.”

Later on, the farmer’s son is working to tame one of the new wild horses and falls off the horse and breaks his leg. Those in the town say such a tragedy for his son and the farmer’s family. The farmer replies, “maybe.”

The next day the nation goes to war, and the Chinese rulers send messengers across the land to draft the young men to go fight in the war. Since the farmer’s son broke his leg, he wasn’t able to serve and go to war. The farmers’ neighbors changed their minds and viewed the son’s broken leg now as a blessing. Again, the farmer simply replied “maybe.”

The point of the parable is simple, only the future can reveal and tell us whether our experiences of the past are good or bad. There truly is no way to fully know what today’s experiences will result in or how they will impact tomorrow.

Enjoy the here and now, the moment in front of you, this precious gift the present! 

This week I got stuck in the midwest as a result of a huge snowstorm. Flights were delayed and ultimately canceled. Ended up staying longer than planned. 

I had a choice on how I could view this experience: good or bad. Today I am choosing “maybe.” Focusing on the present and being fully centered at that moment with those who are in the same situation.

It is a choice that we all can make within those moments in time that are completely out of our control. 

How do you view the various circumstances you experience throughout the week? Do you label them good or bad?

Tom Brady is arguably the GOAT! Knowing he couldn’t change the past, he choose to see the moments life threw at him by grabbing ahold of the lessons packed within each experience. 

There will be losses in your career, unfair bounces, mistakes, blown calls, getting cut or released, and the list goes on. How will you grab ahold of the moments, pull out the lessons, learn from them, and be present? Good, bad, or simply “maybe.” 

The future will eventually tell us whether our experiences of the past are good or bad. There’s no way of fully knowing, so enjoy the moment, the precious present!