The Outcomes You Don't Expect
Getting to where you want to be doesn't always look pretty
The sound of failure isn’t just a door slamming in your face. It’s also the (much quieter) sound of a different one opening at the exact same time.
The path to success isn’t as simple as you want it to be.
It’s not a linear A to B progression. It’s A to Z to W back to Z again and then maybe you circle back to B or maybe you end up at C or D instead.
“By seeking and blundering we learn.”
- Goethe
Contrary to the standard self-help advice, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a certain outcome.
Of course you have a vision of what you want the finish line to look like. Otherwise you wouldn’t even bother starting to begin with.
Believing in a desirable outcome is a VERY good thing.
The problem isn’t the belief or the desire. It’s the expectation. It’s the entitlement. Once you start thinking “I deserve”, or “I’m guaranteed to”, you’re treading on dangerous water.
No one deserves anything.
Hell, you don’t even deserve to be alive. What are the chances of you ever being born to begin with?
Your very existence is a matter of luck.
If your own life isn’t guaranteed, what makes you think that building a successful business is?
All you can do is do the things that you believe will get you closer to your goals and then hope for the best.
Keep in mind that the result you’re imagining right now isn’t the only desirable outcome. Life throws curveballs at all of us.
Sometimes the unexpected outcomes are bad. But sometimes good things happen too.