The Horse Ran Away: A Powerful Lesson in Patience, Stress, and Long-Term Wealth Building

The Horse Ran Away. Good or Bad?

On Tuesday I shared something personal about stress, expectations, and how heavy this past year felt.

I expected projects to move faster.
I expected momentum to feel smoother.
I expected to already be on the other side of a few things.

Instead, I found myself sitting in uncertainty… which, if we’re being honest, is everyone’s least favorite chair.

That newsletter stirred up a lot of reflection for me, and it reminded me of a story I’ve come back to more than once this year. It’s an old one. Simple. Almost annoyingly calm.

And it’s changed how I carry stress.

The Story of Sai Weng Shi Ma

An old man living on the edge of a village loses his horse.

The neighbors rush over. “How terrible,” they say.

The old man replies, “Maybe…….”

A few days later, the horse returns… bringing with it several wild horses.

“How wonderful!” the neighbors exclaim.

“Maybe…….,” the old man says again.

Later, the old man’s son breaks his leg trying to tame one of the wild horses.

“How awful,” the neighbors say.

“Maybe……”

Not long after, soldiers come through the village drafting young men for war. Because of his injury, the son is passed over.

The neighbors return. “How fortunate!”

And once again, the old man says, “Maybe…….”

What Changed for Me This Year

I used to feel pressure to label everything immediately.

Good news meant relief.
Bad news meant stress.
Delays meant failure.

This year forced me to confront how exhausting that is.

Here’s what finally landed for me:

Worrying when things are good is a waste of time.

Worrying when things are bad wastes the exact energy you need to respond well.

Most outcomes aren’t finished stories. They’re just chapters.

By trying to predict the ending too early, we borrow stress we haven’t earned yet.

Calm Is Not Complacency

This isn’t about doing nothing or “hoping for the best.”

It’s about disciplined patience.

You still evaluate.
You still prepare.
You still do the work.

But you stop emotionally sentencing situations before the facts arrive.

I’ve found that when I let events unfold before reacting, I make better decisions, preserve more energy, and sleep a whole lot better.

Clarity comes from observation, not panic.

Why This Matters for Building and Protecting Wealth

Every long-term decision is a test of patience.

Markets move.
Projects stall.

Opportunities don’t always show up on your preferred timeline.

The biggest mistakes tend to come from forcing outcomes just to relieve discomfort.

The old man never rushed to declare victory or defeat. He simply stayed steady long enough to see what the situation actually was.

That mindset doesn’t just protect your mental health. It protects your judgment.

And good judgment compounds.

This Mindshift has had such a profound impact on my ability to react accordingly, I will be expounding on it in future newsletters. I’ll break down how this way of thinking applies directly to decision-making when timing feels uncomfortable and why restraint is often the most underappreciated skill in building durable wealth.

Until then, maybe… just maybe… let the horse run a little longer before deciding what it the next stressful situation means.