Murphy's Law: Just A Misunderstanding?

"Murphy's Law": "Whatever can go wrong, will". In its simplest form, this is the way most of us remember it.

Does the following remind you of someone you know? "Why is it that whenever I try to ______, it seems that ______ happens - or "comes along" - and knocks me down to where I started (or lower)?" To them, Murphy's Law has proven itself time and time again.

And, if that really happens every time, then it's either strange coincidence, or there really is some sort of law at work.

Before going further with that thought, I decided to see if I could go to the source. Who was 'Murphy', and what was his 'law'? What I found was very interesting. According to author Arthur Bloch (see footnote 1), one man credited with this saying was Capt. Ed Murphy, an engineer.

Frustrated at an apparently inept technician, Murphy said, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he will". Now, how many people do you know who are like that technician?

Does knowing someone like that inept technician mean there is a universal law at work? Maybe for that person, but not for everyone. Would you agree?

But wait; if it's just a law for certain people, then maybe it's not a law at all. Maybe, there is something else that causes things to go wrong. I read of a British stage magician, named Nevil Maskelyne, who wrote:

It is an experience common to all men to find that, on any special occasion, such as the production of a magical effect for the first time in public, everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Whether we must attribute this to the malignity of matter or to the total depravity of inanimate things, whether the exciting cause is hurry, worry, or what not, the fact remains. (see footnote 2)

"...whether the exciting cause is hurry, worry,.....". That last line made me think. What if Murphy's Law is not really "What can go wrong, will"?

What if 'Murphy's Law' is simply selective memory, or a subjective reality, rather than a definitive law. What if Murphy's Law is a mindset - a choice - rather than a rule of life.

Think about it. Who has tragedy, trouble, and failure at every single thing they do, or attempt? No one I can think of. Here's a quote from Mathematician Augustus De Morgan:

"The first experiment already illustrates a truth of the theory, well confirmed by practice, what-ever can happen will happen if we make trials enough."
Will errors, or mistakes, happen on the first attempt at anything? It's very likely to happen. It's called learning; and growth. Does failure happen at every attempt? No.

To use an illustration I heard from Tony Robbins, "How many parents put a limit on how many tries their child gets to learn to walk? None! That would be crazy. My child is going to keep trying until he/she can walk".

Let's apply Murphy's law to baseball. If you can strike out, you will. How many professional baseball players would be frustrated to get only three hits out of every ten at-bats? If you think any would be disappointed at that percentage, you do not watch baseball. 3 of 10 is a multi-million dollar earning statistic. It's called batting "three hundred"; or.300.

Consider this. Many very successful people made numerous attempts before they attained their goal. Most of us have heard of the thousands of attempts Edison made with the light bulb. If Edison believed in Murphy's Law, do you think he would have kept trying after 100 failures? After 1000 failures?

What about Colonel Sanders, T. Harv Eker, or any of the millions of successful men and women who have influenced our lives?

If Murphy's law was truly a law, they would have never reached their goals. Wherever Murphy's Law originated from, it should be realized that it's not a law, it's a condition of percentages and beginnings. If you make enough attempts at one thing, it's likely one of those will go wrong, or you may make a mistake.

While it is true that many state this 'law' jokingly, how many of those same people have you heard state it also as a proven fact?

The belief that 'what can go wrong, will' is a subjective expectancy of failure. If someone believes that if failure can happen, it will happen, how likely is that person to go after dreams or success? Not likely at all.

I suggest that the next time 'Murphy's Law' comes to mind, think "repealed". Then tell yourself, "If failures are seen as learning how to do it better, and I make enough attempts, knowing that I'll succeed, I can do whatever it is that I want to do.

And if you hear friends or loved-ones state the 'law', simply let them know that Murphy's Law is only a law for those who accept it as a law.

Wishing you the best of life,
Shawn Madden

(1)'Murphy's Law, and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong', Bloch, 1977

(2)Maskelyne, Nevil. "The Art In Magic", The Magic Circular, June 1908, p. 25