Our Efforts vs. Outcomes
When we consider our individual capacity to control our destinies, we most often overestimate our own role in the outcomes. There are many variables that we are unaware of or unable to influence, so no matter how herculean our efforts are, the results may fall short of both hopes and expectations. We can improve our successes through due diligence, but ultimately, we aren’t in control. Let me offer a real-life example of a real estate developer I knew back in the 70’s:
Howie was an architect in California during the boom years. He bought vacant land for small developments and houses for improvement. By knowing the market, selecting appropriate properties, and designing appealing projects, he thought he was pretty much in control of his career and net worth. He continued to ride the inflating economy up and up – until the 80’s when the prime interest rate went to 20%. He was highly leveraged, his investments went under, and he lost his shirt. So how did Howie view what happened to him?
He thought he knew the market and was responsible for his successes. But he had a lot of help from the increased demand for housing in the face of a limited supply – neither of which he had any control over. When the interest rate crisis occurred, he was unprepared, unable to adjust, and out of control. In the good years, he took credit for his accomplishments as a guru, but when it fell apart, he blamed the Federal Reserve for the catastrophic interest rates he failed to anticipate. While the government did lose control of the economy leading to the destruction of many businesses, Howie had overextended himself because he failed to recognize the change in the market before it was too late.
The point of the story is that, while our actions can bring success or failure, they aren’t controlling the outcomes strictly on their own. We tend to take full credit for our wins but blame outside factors for our losses. Unpredictable forces are always present and can dominate the results. Nature is governed by the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, and statistical probabilities that generally trump any of our attempts to counter them. This in no way means we should give up or not try to set and reach our goals. It suggests that we shouldn’t be hard on ourselves when our efforts fall short. By all means, make corrections and go forth, but remain humble when we succeed and reinvigorated after failures.