It might seem unbelievable at first that you can achieve more by caring less about the outcome.
The secret relies on being sincere, not too serious, and attached to the outcome, but not too uncaring and frivolous.
Let’s dive in:
1. Sincere vs serious
We are all familiar with that guy who gets too serious when playing a board game.
He will become too focused on following the game rules rigidly and winning, taking the fun out of everyone.
And then there’s the guy who doesn’t really put any effort into playing; he doesn’t really try to win, and that also takes the fun out of it.
Where’s the sweet spot?
hat’s when you become sincere, rather than serious.
You are putting your best effort into playing the game and showing that you care, but you are not fixated on the outcome or rules of the game—you are playing sincerely, not seriously.
There’s a lot to be gained by using this approach in our work as well.
If I take writing this newsletter too seriously and think about how “this is a big deal, I need to write this very seriously.”
I’m not only sure it would not be a good experience (and certainly not fun), but the newsletter would not be as good as when I take writing it with sincerity.
Trying to provide value with my writing as best as I can, but not focused on the outcome.
It’s like when you need to give a big presentation:
If you think how that presentation is very important, and you can’t mess it up, and those stories we tell ourselves—if you approach it with that seriousness, most likely, the presentation will not go that well.
If you approach it with sincerity, giving your best effort but taking mistakes more lightly and not focusing on the outcome, you will probably perform better and maybe, just maybe, even have a bit of fun.
Here’s a little drawing for the visual learners:
Bringing it home
- Being sincere, rather than serious and outcome-focused allows for greater performance and more enjoyment in our work and life.
Choose one insight from today and take action on it.
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Stay curious,
— Idris Moura
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