Investing in the process, not the outcome

One of my favorite quotes comes from Jon Finkel, considered one of the greatest Magic: The Gathering players of all time. When asked about the similarities between Magic and poker:

I think the biggest thing is the deep seeded [sic] emotional understanding that the right play is the right play regardless of outcomes. The ability to make a decision 5 straight times, lose 5 times because of it, and still make it the 6th time if it’s the right play.

It was a hard choice to leave a job where the perks are so good that I wince when describing them to people. But when I asked myself “how did I get here?”, the answer wasn’t “a deliberate and intentional process”. The answer was “I’m not sure, maybe I got lucky?”.

The second answer isn’t one I endorse, in the same way that I wouldn’t recommend other people play the lottery to make money, even if I had just won. So although I might have made the wrong play and done well for myself so far, I continue to have the deep-seated, emotional urge to make what I think is the right play.

And if the game is to find the kind of life that I am most deeply satisfied with, I think the right play is to take a page from search algorithms (the study of finding things!) and start by looking wide.