Whether it was playing competitive sports, coaching my son’s teams, or leading various manufacturing operations, I have been blessed to experience great wins, championship level results, and the satisfaction of taking something that was down to achieve at a high level. For every one of these high moments, I can also point to an example that didn’t generate the results desired nor, in some cases, the results expected. I have experienced tough losses, disappointing years, and business closures.
If you are reading this article, you can probably relate to both ends of the spectrum as well. Life is full of ups and downs for everyone. You may be thinking of someone, some team, or some organization that just seems to always have success, but if you get close enough, long enough, you will see the spectrum of life come into play for them too. That’s just life.
I can look back at some of those down times and think that we could have done more in preparation, more in execution, or possibly more in motivation. However, truth be told, there are cases where we gave everything, and it was still not enough. I can recall years in business that went well followed by years that were very disappointing. We didn’t work with any less focus or effort, the market/economy was just not favorable. I can recall state playoff games in football where we just lost to a better team that Friday night. We did everything we could do, but it just wasn’t enough.
I would bet that you can relate in your respective life experiences. While there are instances of not being as prepared, not putting forth our best effort, or not executing at a high level, there are plenty more examples where our “everything” was just not enough.
As I now pause and look back over these experiences, both the wins and losses, the meeting of expectations and falling short, and the businesses thriving and closing, the one constant is the memories of living the experience with others. While the memories of the successes are great, they don’t come close to comparing to the value of the relationships built along the way. Those relationships will forever outlast the memories of the accomplishments. Those same memories are present in the disappointing results and years as well. In fact, it’s because of those experiences that I don’t call those disappointing results and years a failure. Our “everything” was just not enough in those instances.
As you consider how this article impacts you, consider your past but also consider this perspective for your present and future experiences. The joy is found in the process not the results. The results are great to celebrate when you get them, and we should give our everything toward the desired results for our team, our organization, or anything we set out to do. However, the secret to joy is found in the process. Showing up every day, working to perfect our execution, putting our best effort toward a desirable cause, and uniting with others in the process is where lasting joy and true memories are found regardless of the end results.
There will be times when everything will not be enough. “Everything” and “failure” don’t exist together. Anytime you, your team, or your organization give everything, there’s no failure regardless of the results. Don’t underestimate the significance of the process, the value of the relationships, and the overall impact on others. Those instances are when your “everything” is more than enough!
