Hey friends,

These past 2 months have been full of highs and lows.

The highs have been beautiful: A full cohort of 40 students across 10 countries embarked on their Thinking In Stories journey, and we conclude next week. Bringing thoughtful people together in this way has been one of the highlights of the year so far. In addition, I will soon be announcing my biggest creative project to date, which will be out in Q2. I’m so excited to share it with you.

The lows, on the other hand, have been quite difficult.

A few weeks ago, I had a bad accident that led me to the emergency room. I'm still healing from it, and I was initially going to keep this harrowing event to myself. But one thing I've realized is that sharing my experiences has not only helped me make sense of things, but has also helped others make sense of their own struggles as well. So if it helps even just one person, then discussing it will have been worth it.

With that in mind, today’s post is on my recent injury, and the power of belief when it comes to overcoming any setback. When you’re ready, let’s dive right in:

​Everything Will Be Okay​

A Book I’ve Been Enjoying

​Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff — I’ve known Anne-Laure ever since she started her brilliant Ness Labs newsletter back in 2019. So when she sent me an early copy of her book, I was thrilled to finally have it in my hands.

I started reading it while I was in bed recovering, and it served as a thoughtful companion during that time. One of the reasons is that it acts as a gentle reminder that uncertainty is worth embracing and not fearing. This may be hard to do when things seem unstable, but Anne-Laure’s thesis is that these liminal moments are where epiphanies and discoveries are made.

Tiny Experiments is a thoughtful and practical guide to cultivating these discoveries in your life by adopting an experimental approach to your pursuits. Because in doing so, you look beyond the linearity of a desired outcome, and instead open yourself up to the serendipity of the entire process.

An Illustrated Insight

The above graph is from today’s post, and it serves as a visual reminder of the mindset I’d like to adopt when I face significant setbacks.

I’ve found that much of suffering comes from an inability to believe that things will be okay. Suffering is almost always future-oriented, whether it comes in the form of worry, anxiety, or fear for what may (or may not) happen next. So if you have the confidence that things will be okay, then almost all of that suffering dissolves.

When you first experience the setback, then it’s natural to feel that the future looks grim (hence the dip). But after that initial dip, it then becomes a matter of how long you want to stay there. The longer you believe that things won’t be okay, the more vulnerable you become to self-hatred, shame, and depression. But the faster you can believe that things will be okay, then you adopt the confidence and conviction required to escape any trough of sorrow.

Of course, that graph is an ideal curve, and there are nuances to consider. But as I say in the post:

I call it an “ideal” because it’s just that, an ideal. It’s not easy for me to follow either, but seeing it visually laid out like that helps to serve as an aspiration. And given that I’ve been able to endure everything that’s come at me so far (just like you have), perhaps the wisest thing to do is to accept that strength sooner than later whenever the next challenge arises.

A Brief Parting Question

This is a question I’d really like your input on, so please write in if you feel compelled to do so:

What’s a situation in life where you initially thought things wouldn’t be okay, be it turned out to be? What do you think caused that shift?

It doesn’t need to health-related, but two examples of More To That readers that come to mind here are Jeremy Finch (who detailed his recent health problems here) and Christopher Anselmo (more on his struggle here). Both of their stories reveal how you can move forward with conviction even if your body may not want to cooperate.

Once again, it doesn’t need to be health-related, as this dynamic happens in relationships, work, school, finance, etc. Regardless, I’m curious to hear your response to this question, so please do write in. My inbox is open.

As always, hit reply to share any thoughts, to respond to the parting question, or to simply say hello. I love hearing from you.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share this email with anyone who might enjoy it. Have a great rest of your week!

-Lawrence

P.S. Thanks to all the wonderful people that support the blog on Patreon! It means so much. If you’d like to support More To That and get access to book recommendations, exclusive AMAs, offline posts, and other reflections, join as a patron today.