What if you knew the outcome was not going to be what you wanted.
What if the results weren’t going to be what you expected.
What if it was going to end in Inevitable Failure.
Is the effort more valuable than the outcome?
Could you produce the same kind of effort, production, motivation, desire, quality, output as if being able to succeed? Is it important? Is there value in it? What’s more valuable the process or the outcome?
I think most people would like to believe in the ideology, and say that the effort is important, is valuable. But practically find it hard to live out. In an ideal world, we think this is a lesson in character and integrity, results shouldn’t matter, it’s about the effort. But in reality results to do matter, that’s what everyone sees. So how in one’s heart, mind and attitude can they put out the same effort that’s just as valiant, in a scenario where the outcome is not going to go their way.
Success or “winning” has many variables, there are many uncontrollable factors. But what is controllable is effort, consistency, motivation, quality. Bill Walsh’s book was titled “The Score Takes Care of Itself”. His philosophy (my takeaway) was that focusing on winning or losing produces a suboptimal mental state for performance, drawing unnecessary attention to an unforeseeable outcome, consequently taking focus and energy away from the immediate task and responsibility at hand. The only thing that should matter is what needs to be done in the present moment and doing it well.
Maybe failures are just incremental steps toward leveling up quality and increasing the potentiality and frequency of success. Intentionality and focus on consistency, quality and the process – success is just a byproduct of a consistent progression of quality. Develop and progress the quality with consistency and “winning” will be more consistent. “Winning takes care of itself”