There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.’

Either way, nothing happens.” ​

—Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia

I don’t read much fiction, but I’ve always been hooked on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. He’s not your typical lone-wolf hero. Reacher is methodical, emotionally distant, and, above all, he has a remarkable way of dealing with inevitable misfortune. When things go south, his mindset is simple:

Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.

It might sound like a typical cowboy cliché, but something clicked the first time I read it. It’s one of those simple maxims that seems to apply to everything. It’s even become somewhat of a rallying cry for my wife and me. From dealing with a family member’s Stage 4 cancer diagnosis to navigating financial decisions about Lauren going part-time, and the joy (and chaos) of welcoming our baby daughter, we’re constantly reminding each other of Reacher’s spartan advice.

In each of those circumstances, we had a choice. We could either worry and get anxious about it not working out, or we could hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We choose the latter. We embrace the uncertainty, stay present, and trust that whatever happens will be part of the bigger picture.

Forget “should have.” The past is unchangeable, the future is unknowable, and circumstances won’t always break your way. The only thing you can control is how you respond—treat every situation as neutral. When things go sideways, ask, “What might actually be good about this?”

One person who epitomizes this mindset is former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. Whenever his SEAL team faced a setback in Iraq, Jocko’s one-word response was always the same: “Good.”

It sounds harsh at first, but Jocko’s point is simple — no matter how bad things get, there’s always an opportunity to learn or adapt. Didn’t get promoted? Good. More time to get better. Got beat? Good. We learned. This simple refrain can alchemize any disaster into an opportunity.

The “Good” attitude is echoed in the ancient Chinese Farmer story, shared by Alan Watts with a slightly different remark:

The Chinese Farmer Story

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”

The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”

The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”

Life’s twists and turns are unpredictable. What seems like bad luck today might be the best thing that ever happened to you. Good or bad — it’s all perception. Your mind assigns the label; reality doesn’t care. No one makes you angry or sad — you do that yourself, based on your interpretation. Instead of changing the world, just change your reactions. Befriend discomfort so that you’ll never feel it.

Let’s say you want to go for a 2-mile hike, but the weather forecast looks bleak. Hoping for the best means believing it’ll still be a good experience. Planning for the worst means accepting that things might go sideways and preparing anyway. Bring extra socks and a parka—optimism won’t keep you dry, but being prepared might.

Preparing for the worst doesn’t mean just resigning yourself to disaster. It means you’re ready if it comes. Ignoring the possibility of disaster doesn’t make it go away — it just makes you vulnerable.

Tom Brady and Dwight D. Eisenhower may have played different games, but they shared the same approach—Victory favors the prepared. Whether it’s football or warfare, the best strategists train, analyze, and study the opponent to the point of exhaustion. They know that preparation leads to confidence, and confidence leads to hope. It’s a self-reinforcing loop that primes them for success.

Jack Reacher’s mantra reminds us that blind optimism leads to disappointment, while relentless pessimism leads to despair.

The better play: Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.

—KB