Beyond perception or control

In life, there are plenty of variables that are beyond perception or control. Political discussions are filled with these typically, but a smaller, simpler example might be a bowling ball traveling down the lane. A perfectly executed bowling shot may not strike due to a tiny misplacement of a pin or a small shift the lane oil, both of which were too small to see with a human eye.

In the bowling example, after the shot, you may gain a perception of what is wrong and make an adjustment. However, that may prove beyond your perception at times too.

The bigger the tasks you are given the fewer perceptions and adjustments get to be made. There might be thousands of opportunities to adjust how a sales rep at Microsoft cold calls someone and their opening lines to create an opportunity, however there is only one chance to build Microsoft as an entire company.

One thing that seems like has taken root is that with so much visibility of how work is done, and the ability to learn about nearly any specific task on YouTube, people are losing the ability to take a shot on something that may be beyond perception or control. In bowling, it’s best not to judge what the shot is going to do before you throw, instead assume that you are aiming for that strike or spare, and let physics handle the rest. Your next shot will be an opportunity to adjust based on what you see. That business, that art, that writing you want to make, it’s likely you are overthinking it instead of doing it. The reality is for anything significant, for anything worth doing, you can only do and judge the result. You don’t have the perception or the control to do anything else.