SUMMARY

 

An important part of maintaining frame in the face of adversity is when you Do Not Give A Fuck. It can display confidence and can be a Demonstration of High Value. In more polite terms this is achieving Outcome Independence (OI). However, OI does not just happen and it is not just a mentality: OI is a matter of structure, planning and process. Understanding this can allow you to construct your own pathways to success while being outcome independent.

 

BODY

 

INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION

To begin, OI is not not giving a fuck about everything. In fact, by definition, being outcome independent means you have at least some things that you care about. Even the most jaded MGTOW can have a mission in life and everyone who is not clinically insane will stop short of nihilism to pursue desires and goals.

 

At worst, people can be unthinking and not introspective enough about what they want out of life. You can choose your poison as to whether you prefer Lewis Carol or Yogi Berra.

 

However, with a bit of ideation you can figure out where you want to be although it may take a bit of imagineering to create a relationship between where you want to go and how to get there.

 

Abundance Mentality is not outcome independence. Abundance Mentality is a psychological state rather than a physical or existential reality. Like confidence, it is a mindset that will aid in your execution when you try to achieve your goals. If merit, talent, and demonstrable excellence are the underpinnings of confidence, then outcome independence is the underpinning of abundance mentality. It is the difference between an irrational –even delusional – mindset and a way of thinking that is reasonable and justified under the circumstances.

 

Three complimentary definitions of “outcome independence” are:

  1. a goal-seeking structure with multiple paths such that success does not rely on the result of any single scenario
  2. a state of planning involving highly redundant options to achieve a desired end
  3. a reliable process to achieve an objective based on the Law of Large Numbers at each step.

In more simple terms, meeting your goal is independent of any particular outcome on your way to achieving that goal.

 

OUTCOME INDEPENDENCE AS STRUCTURE

Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam

  • Alain de Lille - Liber Parabolarum

 

If you are not up on your Latin, this is the original rendering of the English proverb “All roads lead to Rome”. It generally means that there are many paths to reach the same goal. In the case of ancient Rome, this was not a just a pithy saying because – almost literally – all roads really did lead to Rome. They were built like spokes in a wheel radiating out from the imperial capital. The structure of the road system itself made it easy, if not inevitable, for people to find their way to Rome.

 

In relating your own goals to your present position, examine the pathways from where you are to where you want to be. Search for detours, alternate routes, work-arounds, and as many options as you can so that if any one path is or becomes a dead end, you can change direction and still be on your way to your destination.

 

Using the Roman example, what you do not want is to do is put yourself in a position where you must reach a certain way station and pass through or overcome it to reach your goal. If Rome is not your goal then it can be a choke point. Look for or create other ways and means to sidestep Rome if necessary. Reposition yourself, choose other intermediate goals, lay the foundations in advance of your arrival. Consider the nature of the game at hand and whether you need to play it according to some arbitrary rules; can you restructure it and make other moves that have not been contemplated? Seek out, identify or create a structure that gives you multiple pathways to your goal.

 

Outcome independence is a structure that allows you to proceed to your goal regardless of whether a particular path is blocked.

 

OUTCOME INDEPENDENCE AS PLANNING

Law 29: Plan all the way to the end.

-Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

 

Rome was not built in a day, and it certainly did not happen by accident. For various military and economic reasons, the powers that were wanted all roads to lead to Rome and so they planned it that way. To this extent, planning and structure are related. Beyond that, once you are operating within a workable structure, consider how to exploit any upside and mitigate any down side.

 

Turning again to Robert Greene and Law 29:

The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead. Outcome independence is a plan where the success or failure of any individual facet of the plan is not critical to achieving your goal.

 

OUTCOME INDEPENDENCE AS PROCESS

A process is a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.

 

Dating is a numbers game. This is true whether you are running day/night game or online game. “Winning” the game – the particular end - entails getting into bed, or into a relationship, or into both with a woman who ranges from acceptable to ideal based on your own personal standards.

 

Your process should contain an algorithm for success. According to the [Law of Large Numbers], the average of the results obtained from a large number of trials should be close to the expected value, and will tend to become closer as more trials are performed. The LLN is important because it "guarantees" stable long-term results for the averages of some random events. Each “trial” – such as an approach – offers no guarantees, but using reliable actions in sufficient numbers will create enough successes to move step by step until reaching your goal.

 

Outcome independence is a process where any given action might not work, but when taken as a whole it results in achieving your goal.

 

CONCLUSION

Don’t sweat the small stuff. . . and it is all small stuff

-Richard Carlson

 

Ok, so he was half right. You start with the “big stuff”, your goals. You can achieve your goal independent of any given outcome: this night, that girl, this job interview or the other investment. There is always another path, another card to play, more dice to roll while waiting for your number to come up.

 

Have the right structure and rely on it, have confidence in it. Develop a solid plan and rely on it, have confidence in it. Engage in a proven process and rely on it, have confidence in it. Tat confidence will aid in your execution.

 

Be optimistic about reaching those goals but indifferent to the details. Don’t sweat the small stuff. DNGAF about the small stuff.