What if the worst thing that happens to you isn't actually the worst thing?

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One of my clients called me this week to tell me he lost his biggest client.

He was worried. I could see it in his face, hear it in his voice. So I asked him what happened.

"They disagreed with our processes," he said. "They didn't want to follow the system we have in place."

I asked him a simple question.

"Is there something wrong with the process, or is there something wrong with the fit?"

He paused.

"Honestly? They took a lot more time than anyone else. We didn't make as much money per hour because they were so demanding. We kept going outside the process just to keep them happy."

So I told him the truth.

"This might be the best thing that could've happened to you."

He looked at me like I was crazy.

But here's the thing. All that time. All that frustration. All that lower morale from your team bending over backwards for one difficult client. That's all gone now.

Yeah, revenue takes a hit in the short term. But the clients who replace them? They'll be easier to manage. They'll grow faster. And during the gap, your team can actually put together case studies that help you attract better clients going forward.

What looked like a disaster might be the start of something better.

This reminded me of a story the philosopher Alan Watts used to tell.

The Story of the Chinese Farmer

There was once a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away.

That evening, all his neighbors came around. "We're so sorry. This is terrible news."

The farmer said, "Maybe."

The next day, the horse came back and brought seven wild horses with it.

The neighbors returned. "Isn't that wonderful! Now you have eight horses!"

The farmer said, "Maybe."

The following day, his son tried to break one of the wild horses. He was thrown off and broke his leg.

The neighbors came around again. "What a tragedy. We're so sorry."

The farmer said, "Maybe."

The next day, conscription officers came through the village to draft young men into the army. They rejected the farmer's son because of his broken leg.

The neighbors said, "Isn't that great!"

The farmer said, "Maybe."

What This Taught Me

Watts put it this way: "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 the consequences of good fortune."

I think about this a lot.

When I got fired from Facebook, I thought it was the worst thing that could've happened. I was newly sober, my wife was pregnant, and I had no idea what came next.

Turns out, that was the beginning of everything.

That rock bottom forced me to build a business from scratch. It pushed me to start teaching, which led to speaking. Speaking led to writing. Writing led to opportunities I never could have planned for.

Sometimes I think about how boring my life would have been if I'd just stayed in corporate. All that contrast, all those struggles, is exactly what made things interesting. It's why I actually enjoy my life now.

The Only Move That Matters

So here's what I've learned.

When something bad happens, I don't assume I know how it's going to play out. Because I don't. None of us do.

Instead, I just try to take the next positive action.

That's it.

Not spiraling. Not catastrophizing. Just doing the next right thing.

Maybe the thing that just went wrong is actually the thing that sets everything else up to go right.

Maybe.

Your Turn

Think about a recent setback or disappointment.

What's one way it could actually lead to something better? Not toxic positivity. Not pretending it doesn't suck. Just allowing for the possibility that you don't have the full picture yet.

Stay Up,

Terry

Real Quick If you're an entrepreneur feeling stuck in your business, I created a free LinkedIn Learning course that'll help you get unstuck. [Get free access]​

One More Want to hear more about my story? Check out the documentary that ConvertKit created about my journey from rock bottom to where I am today. [Watch now]

Last One If you want to see how I run and build my business in just 10 hours a week while also hitting the gym and raising four children, check out my STACK app. Poke around. Steal ideas. That's what it's there for. Check out STACK here.

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