Hope in Every Loss: #1 Reason To Never Quit

Every loss contains hope! Once there was an old farmer who had one son and one horse. One day his horse ran away. His neighbor came to comfort him and said, “I’m so sorry to hear that your only horse has run away. Such bad luck.”

The old farmer replied, “Who’s to say what is good and what is bad?”

His neighbor just shook his head and walked away. One week later, the horse returned home along with ten wild ponies! The neighbor came to congratulate him, saying, “What good luck you have. Not only did your horse return but brought with him ten wild ponies.”

“Who’s to say what is good and what is bad,” replied the farmer.

Again, the neighbor returned home shaking his head. The following week the farmer’s son was thrown from one of the wild ponies and severely broke his leg. Such bad news spreads fast and the neighbor quickly returned and said with a hint of mockery, “Your son has broken his leg just before the harvest. You must admit that is awful bad luck!”

“Who’s to say what is good and what is bad,” said the farmer just as sternly.

“You’re a fool,” said the neighbor.

Soon, an overwhelming army invaded the country and the king’s army drafted every eligible young man to face insurmountable odds. The neighbor, having lost his son to the draft with little hope of ever seeing him again, said to the farmer, “You still have your son since the king’s army passed over him on account of his broken leg.”

The neighbor then humbly added, “But who is to say what is good and what is bad.”

Many years ago, I experienced the devastating loss of my business. Practically overnight, over $100 million in value vanished and I was left with nearly $3 million in personal debt. From the perspective of neighbors having witnessed the seemingly bad news, recovery seemed impossible. But in reality the future held just the opposite.

My loss gave me the knowledge and faith to start company after company. I’ve discovered that the crashing fall of one tree often plants new seeds deep into a more fertile soil springing forth great redwoods.

So, who’s to say what is good and what is bad as every loss contains seeds of hope.