Murphy’s Law – When You Need It Least
Murphy’s Law is one of the most famous and most often referred to principles in life. We all live it and breathe it on a daily basis. It may sound like a negative law, but if used mindfully it can be beneficial to us in helping us achieve our goals.
Murphy’s Law –
Whatever can go wrong will go wrong!
Origins Of Murphy’s Law
The law was invented by a US aerospace engineer named Edward Murphy. In the 1940s Murphy worked at an air force base. He was responsible for developing new devices for testing the human tolerance of g-force. In the process, several errors nearly led to someone being seriously injured. The team started assuming that everything they do could go wrong at any time. To avoid injuries they put safety measures in place.
How It Works
The law is very simple and doesn’t need much explanation. Basically, if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. And may I add, usually at the most inopportune time.
We’ve all been in such situations. You are running late for a meeting and you have to print a copy of the presentation. You press the “print” button. The pages start coming out of the printer. And just when you think you are doing great . . . you run out of paper a couple of pages before the whole set printed. You are late for the meeting. This is Murphy’s law in action.
Of course, not everything goes wrong. The statistics show, more things go to plan than fail. But it is in our human nature to dwell on the negative and overlook the positive outcomes. We focus on what we didn’t achieve rather than on what we succeeded in.
We always remember the bad stories better than the ones with a good outcome.
Use It To Your Advantage
The law teaches us not to rely solely on our expectations for a positive outcome. Things don’t always go to plan. Once we realize this we can take steps to prepare and avoid negative outcomes in the future.
- Here are two small steps to help you become a better risk planner:Take a few minutes before you finish planing to consider all possible outcomes. As the saying goes “Hope for the best, plan for the worst.”
- Put together a few alternative plans in case of an emergency. (plan A, plan B, plan C . . .) . Even if you don’t get to use them this will help you become a better planner for your next project.
With these 2 small steps, you can turn a negative situation into a success story.
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Fun Fact
Before the law became known as Murphy’s Law it was known as Sod’s Law. It stated that any bad thing that can happen to some poor sod will. In England Murphy’s Law is still referred to as Sod’s Law.
Have you experienced Murphy’s Law? How did you react? I would love to hear from you. Please share your experience in the comments section below or if you’d like you can contact me directly.
