Sometimes we do a very good job, and things go badly.
It’s important to realize outcomes are not as directly connected to our decisions as we tend to believe. Good decisions are a probability game. If you make excellent decisions in managing cases, talking with clients, spending time with loved ones, or fitting your hobbies into a busy schedule then there is a higher probability that things will go well for you. But that probability is nowhere close to 100%.
You can work up a case in the best possible way and still have the pet die. You can speak to a pet owner with complete honesty, empathy, and respect and still get a 1-star review. You can take your spouse out for the loveliest date and still get a migraine and get rained on, and you can plan the perfect board game night and have too many people cancel at the last minute to actually play.
I’m not reminding you of this because I want to bring you down. I’m reminding you of this so you can stop kicking yourself. Yes, it’s important to do your best. I hope that you’re making good calls, doing your best work, and that things are coming together well for you this week. Also, I hope that you can give yourself grace and understand that while you can control your process, you cannot control the outcomes in your life. All you can do is increase the probability that things will be good. You can’t ensure success.
So, please, find your happiness in doing a good job, and be kind to yourself when things don’t end up the way you had hoped. Life is a series of moments in which we should try to do our best, and also to forgive ourselves when things don’t turn out perfectly. Because sometimes we do a very good job, and things go badly.
