Who in this world always has a smooth and easy life? Year after year, people go through the cycle of birth, old age, sickness, and death, experiencing many ups and downs throughout their lives. As the saying goes: “Life is like traveling on a road, and there are always mountains and rivers in front of you.” Is it possible to change your life?
Have you ever considered trying to change your path when you seem to be getting nowhere? When you can’t figure something out, why not try adopting a different perspective? If you’re feeling down and depressed, consider viewing the situation from a fresh angle.
The Book of Changes says: “Extremity leads to change, change leads to success, and success leads to longevity. This is the favorable blessing of Heaven.”
When things develop to an extreme point and it seems you have nowhere left to go, you have to turn around to make a change. Turning around and making a change at the right time is the key to lasting survival. Let’s look at some examples in history.
Pay attention to when it’s time for a change
During the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history (770-476 B.C.), Fan Li was a distinguished politician and military strategist from the state of Chu. He played a crucial role in assisting King Gou Jian of Yue in the monumental task of overthrowing the state of Wu in a single, decisive action. Recognizing his talents, Gou Jian appointed Fan Li as his chief general.
When Fan Li was in his prime, he ranked above everyone except for Gou Jian. However, Fan Li did not let fame and fortune disturb his judgment, but calmly analyzed his own situation. Now the Wu state, the biggest rival to Yue, had perished, and the other vassal states were either far away or weak and could not pose a threat to Yue. The country was already at peace, and it was dangerous to be powerful at this time because it posed a threat to the king.
Fan Li was well aware of Gou Jian’s character; while he could unite with others in times of difficulty, he struggled to share his prosperity. He was particularly prone to jealousy. Recognizing this, Fan Li chose to resign from his position at the pinnacle of his career.
Of course, Gou Jian did not want to lose Fan Li and even offered to share the kingdom with him as a means to keep him, but Fan Li still left quietly with his wife and children.
After achieving success, Fan Li retreated from his position. Gou Jian still had Minister Wen Zhong by his side, but before long, Gou Jian’s heavy suspicions led him to find a pretext to execute Wen Zhong. At a critical point in his life, Fan Li made a change in his thinking, which spared him a similar fate. In the storms of life, how many people possess the clarity and wisdom to retreat in one piece, as Fan Li did?
If a person can always be sober about things, view himself and others accurately, give up his benefits at the right time, and leave when it is time to leave, then he will be able to save himself. When things are at their best, that is the moment when change kicks in and they start to go downhill. It is great wisdom not to be greedy, not to procrastinate when life is going well, and to turn around in time to retreat.
Always look on the bright side
If someone tells you about a good thing and a bad thing, which do you want to hear first? Most people would want to hear the good thing first, because it is human nature to be happy when we hear good things, and anxious when we hear bad things. Is this really the nature of things? Lao Tzu said: “Good fortune is the source of misfortune, and misfortune is the source of good fortune.” Whether a thing is good or bad depends on how you look at it.
There’s an ancient story that tells this principle. One day, a farmer and a porter were exploring the forest together. The farmer cut his finger off while he was cutting fruit off of a tree, and the porter said loudly: “Isn’t it great? God has given you a gift!” The farmer was so angry that he threw the porter into a deep pit and stomped out of the area alone.
The next day, a group of barbarians captured the farmer and tried to kill him as a sacrifice. Just as they were about to take his life, they suddenly noticed that the farmer’s finger was missing. Since he would be an imperfect sacrifice, they decided to let him go.
The farmer rushed to the pit to rescue the porter, and apologized profusely to him. The porter said: “There’s nothing to apologize for. If we had gone together, maybe they would have made a sacrifice out of me.”
Whatever you think is good may turn out to be bad; whatever you think is bad may turn out to be good. Humans cannot see the deeper reasons or meanings for things as they happen, and this leads them to use their limited understanding to judge whether something is good or bad.
Everything is good and bad in its own way, and everything has both a positive and a negative. All kinds of problems in life are constantly troubling us. When you really can’t figure something out, let your heart take a turn and see the truth of life: Blessings and misfortunes depend on each other, and life’s fortunes are full of ups and downs. So maintain your composure during times of joy and accept with grace the moments that don’t bring happiness.
When you are at your wit’s end, change your path
Once upon a time, there was a papermaker, who, while producing paper, accidentally used the wrong formula. The paper he made could not be used to write on, and the owner became very angry and fired him.
His friend advised him: “There are two sides to everything. You might as well change your mindset and see if you can find a new way out of your mistake.”
These words of advice woke him up. He found that this batch of paper was actually very good at absorbing water. He cut the paper up and sold it as household paper on the market, and it turned out to be very popular. His mistake turned out to contain a lesson and be a good thing when he learned to look at it from a different perspective.
Life is a process of constant correction. Who can guarantee that everything will go smoothly and that nothing will go wrong? Walking on the road of life, it is inevitable that there are times when the road leads to nowhere, and we hit a roadblock or dead end. At such times, it may be worthwhile to make a turn, and if that turn still does not work, continue to make turns until you find the turn that does work.
When you encounter a road that does not lead to the right end, it is precisely because God is reminding you to recognize the situation and make a timely turn; it is much more sensible, and much wiser, than forging ahead toward a dead end and being trapped there.
The highest level of wisdom is to be able to make a U-turn when necessary. To change your mind at such times is to wake up, and abandoning your preconceived ideas and notions can change the course of your life. When you are at your wit’s end, if you can make a U-turn, you will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Translated by Audrey Wang
