"I have set my life upon a cast and I will stand the hazard of the die" Richard III
Matt Schmoldt has an interesting post about the rim and letting go.
The rim lets me know how I am doing. I love having it’s instant feed back. The loud clang of the rim challenges me to become better, and the soft swish of the net rewards me.
But today, I realized that the rim’s instant feed back is unnecessary.
I realized that I already knew if the shot was off course even before it hits the rim. I know by how I feel during the shot. I know if it is too short, or sailing wide left, and I know if the shot is perfectly on track.
I realized that I was concentrating on the result and not on how I felt during the shot. I was fixed on making my next shot (the destination of the ball), but not on how I should feel during the shot (the journey).
When I let go of my fixation on making shots and instead focused on how I felt during the shots, an amazing thing happened. I made way more shots.
Western thought is focused on the final particle, the end game, the rim. Eastern thought is focused on the process, the flow, the shot. One begins with the process, how to hold the ball, how to elevate, how to release, and finally how to follow through. Once the basic's have been mastered, one shoots at the basket and the rim provides the instant feedback.
In business, one develops a concept, a menu, a delivery system and finally brings in all the units of production necessary to open the door. The marketplace (rim) provides instant feedback. As in shooting a basketball the only factors you control is the process (shot). You have no control over the outcome. A business can setup perfectly, elevate majestically, release flawlessly, follow through elegantly and still the rim can render a harsh and frustrating verdict. Let it go!
The feedback of the rim is one shot, not the game. The game is affected by the various shots. The outcome however is the non linear sum of different variables. One can make every shot one attempts, master the rim and still not succeed in the game. Let it go!
