“There must be a pony!”

Ever have one of those weeks when everything seems to go wrong. It’s like the Universe decided to give a pop quiz on survival of the fittest and your number was up. I know I’ve experienced weeks like this and they make it hard to stay optimistic!

There’s a story I’ve always liked that seems to help. It has many variations, some with a bit more offensive language. Here’s a PG version, which interestingly is attributed to President Ronald Reagan who used it frequently in his political speeches:

Worried that their son was too optimistic, the parents of a little boy took him to a psychiatrist. Trying to dampen the boy’s spirits, the psychiatrist showed him into a room piled high with nothing but horse manure.

Instead of displaying distaste, the little boy clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to all fours, and began digging. “What do you think you’re doing?” the psychiatrist asked. “With all this manure,” the little boy replied happily, ‘there must be a pony in here somewhere.

This story reminds me that even the worst week can also have something good in it. Of course, it’s hard to see this good, when I’m up to my knees in manure. Like the boy in the story, I have to believe the positive is there somewhere and then actively search for it.

Next time you’re having a bad week and want to crawl in bed and pull the covers over your head, think about the boy in the room full of manure. Then start to dig for the “pony” by noticing the positive things that are happening around you.

These positive things don’t have to be big; an unexpected thank you, getting all the green lights on the way home, or perhaps just how warm and comfy your bed feels when you pull the covers over your head. Whatever positive things you find, becoming aware of them helps you keep things in perspective.

I like to think “there must be a pony in here somewhere” is a lesson to anyone who finds themselves in a really bad place. By believing that good things are still possible, we’re better able to cope with “a room full of manure.”

Tagged as: bad place, positive things, president ronald reagan, ronald reagan, room full of manure, there must be a pony