Blood & Ink: Murphy’s Law

‘Murphy’s Law’, a golden rule paraded around by self-important tech VCs and business optimization gurus states “everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

On the surface, it sounds nice, a wise reminder to prepare in advance for things that might go astray.

Many people I’ve met throughout business school, the high-growth startup world, and the schoolyard wisdom seekers trumpet this thing as if it were a commandment from God.

There are 2 fatal flaws with Murphy’s Law—dangerous flaws—that are not recognized:

1. Murphy’s Law is Self-Defeating.

Murphy’s Law takes about 1 second to disprove completely. And it only requires one simple question:

You’re still alive, aren’t you? The universe is intact. Global cataclysmic warfare hasn’t broken out while your Q1 OKRs were moving forward. The very fact that you’re still conscious enough to talk about Murphy’s Law eviscerates the foundation that Murphy’s Law stands upon.

So, everything that could have possibly gone wrong, in fact, has not.

“Oh, but that’s not what I meant…”

What did you mean? That you would do yourself a favour by planning with a bit of foresight about the few minor inconveniences that could arise while working on something important?

Great. Why didn’t you say that? That’s an entirely different statement.

2. Murphy’s Law Inculcates a Toxic View of Reality

You will find what you look for.

Let’s repeat that together:

YOU WILL FIND WHAT YOU LOOK FOR.

If you are looking for evidence that supports why something isn’t going to work, that failure was inevitable, that you’re just not cut out for the task — you will find it. You will find so much evidence you’ll get overwhelmed and spiral down.

Murphy’s Law is the cynics’ ultimate trump card.

Whenever something goes wrong, it’s a perfect moment to share this vapid pseudo-intellectual statement that it was, in fact, inevitable.

But you miss everything that did go well.

This is one of the biggest struggles in the human psyche: negative or unexpected events are far more salient than good/expected ones.

You must train your ability to notice what is absent.

You didn’t get sick today. Your father didn’t die. Your wife still loves you. That close call with the taxi on the street didn’t send you into a coma. Your food wasn’t poisoned. Everyone else on your team showed up for work. You didn’t get scammed out of your entire net worth. Your lungs still seem to work just fine. You can still comprehend language.

The list is literally endless.

But you never look for them. Nor does Murphy’s Law put you in the right frame, the right relationship with reality to notice them.

Innumerable blessings are working in your favour. You have no idea.

Any small challenge that does happen to arise out of this vast expanse of perfection is precisely the challenge you need to level up and is therefore another blessing to you.

Get on the optimistic side.

• Everything that needs to happen for you, will happen for you.
• Everything that is happening to you, is happening for you.

Have a great day,
EB.