The Success-Failure Binary

Only two options? Wake up.

OPINION PIECE

Uzair Hassan, CEO 3H Solutions, Dubai

7/3/20263 min read

Are outcomes really contained in only two options? These options were created more for decision making, evaluations or statistics. Not for our daily lives. Distorted visions created by this human construct limit the possibilities. As James Clear states, stop fixating on the finish line and love the process. Let the chips fall as they may. Outcomes are, after all, a result of the process. So focus on the process, results will follow.

One must decide to choose fleeting achievements or long-term transformation.

One may “lose” under this “Success-Failure Binary system”, but gain immensely from the experience going through the process. The discipline it required, the focus it demanded, the drive to achieve, the ability to stay the course and persevere even through tough times, the strength to pull from your deepest and innermost resources to push for the finish line. All these build character. Mould the personality. Add value.

The win or loss may not change your life, but the experience, the process, the journey surely will have a profound impact on it.

Maybe performance management systems need to look at the journey and its intermittent outcomes as well. There may only be one winner in this construct, but multiple winners if the bigger picture is kept in mind.

The potential to grow is immense if one keeps an open mind and does not only look at the final outcome.

There was an interesting social experiment conducted many moons ago. A woman was told that she was being filmed and there were cameras everywhere. As she exited her home, on the way to her office, at the coffee shop she frequented etc. etc. She was to learn from every little experience she had over the coming 4 weeks and report back.

She started becoming aware of her surroundings. The way she dressed, the way she greeted people along the way, the way she sidestepped the cracks in the pavement. The way she reacted when the waiter took too long or when he dropped a fork. The way she interacted with different people at the office. What got her riled up and what she liked doing. What made her happy. Her daily habits. Her procrastination for doing things she really wanted to. The excuses she used to delay the inevitable things she needed to do etc. etc.

The amount of data collected by her was colossal. At the end of 4 week’s she was informed that this had been a social experiment and that there were no cameras anywhere and no one had been watching. Her initial confusion and anger turned to realization. That realization turned to awareness and experience. She realized she had been living in a zone out zombie state where she had not been aware of large chunks of her life. Before this experiment she didn’t remember going to or coming back from office. She had not realized how she treated people, her own idiosyncrasies or thoughts, her likes and dreams. Her happy state. Her triggers.

This short but impactful experience had made her more self-aware, more in tune with the world around her, more in touch with herself and her surroundings. It had made her realize that waiting for things to happen, following “success”, or making it through the day were not important. What was important was the journey. The daily routine, the drudgery itself, had lessons for you. If one could even pick up a small thing every day, to improve on a daily basis, imagine the upgrades one would experience.

When a tree drops thousands of seeds only a handful become trees. In our world that would make it a failure. But the human race depends on these trees for its survival. So failure though it may look like, it’s a success, the human race survives. Humans seem to demand accuracy and certainty. Nature only offers probability.

So failures may just be events in a lifespan. Character is built when no one is looking. The endless gym sessions, the early morning runs, the late nights working on projects. The end result may be considered a success, but the work put in was where the character rose to the occasion. The grit, the discipline, the perseverance, against odds. The person, being built, one step at a time.

So don’t look for the big win down the line. Enjoy the journey, the small wins, the experiences along the way. Extricate your self from the success failure binary approach. Don’t reduce yourself to a win/lose paradigm. Live a more rewarding life.

Choose awareness over autopilot. The outcome may be the least valuable part of the experience.

Uzair.hassan@3hsolutions.biz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/uzair-hassan-6451024/