Alternatives and Options
Knowing this, a few options are available:
1. Ignore it and desperately search to prove that the life formula works.
These people will do anything to try to convince you the reason your business didn’t work, you didn’t get into that college, or your marriage failed was because you didn’t play the formula right. They know what’s wrong and are out to prove the formula.
They’ll use the formula to get you to change your behavior, buy their product, or invest in some service. It’s all based on statistics and facts that “prove” the formula works.
2. Give up and do whatever you want. Ignore the life formula rules and the wisdom behind them.
These people end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater. They agree that life formulas don’t work and live by the wisdom of whatever feels right. They often cite examples of exceptions to the rules. Some people find extreme financial success without formal training. Or they stay married for 50 happy years even though they got married three weeks after meeting. Or they do all kinds of stuff in the face of the “proverbs.”
They essentially play the lottery of life every day saying, “Someone’s gotta win against all odds. Might as well be me.”
3. Live wisely, but keep faith in God’s will, not the life formula everyone makes it into.
There’s a third option. These people refuse to buy the life formula but also refuse to bet the farm on foolishness. They walk a daily dance between what is wise and what is living by faith. Sure, at times they live in the face of conventional wisdom.
These people know that formulas are about likelihood, not guarantees. If they go to college, they don’t believe the lies of what it will surely produce in four years. Instead, they enjoy the journey, invest their life as wisely as they can, and leave some mystery in the process.
So watch out: A lot of lies masquerade as a life formula. Wise people learn to discern the difference.
