Is the Universe Working Against You, or For You?

I want you to imagine it’s Monday morning and you’re on your way to work. Everything’s going as well as can be expected in rush hour until, out of nowhere, some guy cuts right in front of you, causing you to slam on your brakes and spill coffee on your freshly pressed white shirt.

At this precise moment, you have a choice. You can honk your horn angrily, yell something ugly, and aggressively pass them. Or, you can stay calm while sending positive thoughts towards them, since, for all you know, they’re rushing to the hospital to be with their sick child.

If you chose the first option, your blood pressure is almost certainly elevated, and your day is off to a bad start. But, if you chose the second option, the main emotions you’re feeling are empathy and compassion.

And while this driving example is something most of us can relate to, those of us practicing continuous improvement or in leadership positions can, too.

Because, let’s face it, we often face problems. A late or defective shipment, a frustrated customer, a process that breaks down (again), or a colleague who didn’t follow the standard work you personally created.

And, to be sure, life outside the office has a way of piling on, too.

The Most Important Decision

Einstein is often attributed to have said, “The most important decision you can make is whether to see the universe as friendly or hostile.” Now, whether this is actually the most important decision we can make is debatable…but when it comes to our effectiveness (and happiness) as human beings, learning to deal with less than ideal situations is very, very important.

And if we’re not careful, many of us (I’m definitely guilty) quickly default to worst-case scenarios where the world is out to get us or purposely tick us off. And when this happens, our brain immediately shifts into survival mode, our thinking narrows, we react instead of reflect, and we often miss the opportunity sitting right in front of us.

Ask What, not Why

In lean, we love to ask why, and it’s usually an excellent idea. But, what if, when we’re faced with a difficult situation, we redirect the energy we’re experiencing and instead of asking “why is this happening to me?” we ask, “what is this happening for? What can I learn?”

It might feel unnatural at first. Especially when things aren’t going well. But this simple shift changes everything.

Instead of frustration, we get curiosity. Instead of blame, we start looking for root causes. Instead of treating each issue as an isolated fire to put out, we start to see patterns.

In other words, we start thinking like lean practitioners.

Problems Are Signals

One of the core ideas in lean is that problems are opportunities. You’ve probably heard it put this way: “No problem is a problem.”

The best lean thinking organizations treat problems like treasures. Not because they’re enjoyable, but because they reveal something important about the system.

A breakdown is a signal. A defect is information. A delay is a clue.

But here’s the thing: you only see those signals if you’re willing to look. And you’ll only look if you believe there’s something worth finding.

That’s where the Einstein question comes back in. If you see the universe as hostile, every problem feels like an attack. But if you see it as friendly, or even just neutral, every problem becomes feedback.

Final Thought

The best leaders I know don’t experience fewer problems than everyone else. They just see them differently. They don’t treat problems as interruptions. They treat them as invitations.

And when you begin to see the world as something constantly giving you feedback, something shifts. You stop resisting problems. You stop dreading them. And you start improving because of them.

So maybe Einstein was onto something after all. The decision isn’t just philosophical. It’s the foundation of everything we do in continuous improvement.

See the universe as hostile, and every problem is a battle. See it as neutral or friendly, and every problem is a chance to get better.

The choice, as always, is ours.

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