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C.S. Lewis in his essay 'First and Second Things' claims

Brief

David Perell invokes C.S. Lewis's 'First and Second Things' and a Rory McIlroy quote to argue that prioritizing higher values (putting the 'first thing' first) produces desired outcomes, while obsessing over results undermines performance. Zach Brandon applies the lesson to sport, saying reduced identity attachment to results increases freedom to perform and promising Open Championship highlights.

Why it matters

C.S. Lewis in his essay 'First and Second Things' claims: put the highest thing first and you'll often get the second as well; put the second thing first and you'll lose both.

Key details

  • Rory McIlroy: "It would be a pretty unfulfilling pursuit if you’re just chasing records and chasing results…If all you’re thinking about is winning and results, you’re playing the wrong game."
  • Zach Brandon (@MVP_Mindset) frames this as a performance paradox: the less your identity depends on an outcome, the more freedom you have to perform; he will share highlights and insights from The Open this weekend.
Source evidence

C.S. Lewis wrote about this in an essay called First and Second Things. He said that paradoxically, you're more likely to get what you want when getting it isn't the most important thing in your life. If you put the highest thing first, you'll often get the second thing as well. Put the second thing first, and you'll lose both.

Zach Brandon (@MVP_Mindset)

Rory McIlroy on the paradox of chasing success.

“I think it would be a pretty unfulfilling pursuit if you’re just chasing records and chasing results…If all you’re thinking about is winning and results, you’re playing the wrong game.”

One of the great paradoxes of performance is that the outcomes we want are rarely achieved by obsessing over the outcomes themselves.

Ironically, the less your identity depends on the outcome, the more freedom you often have to perform at your best.

If you enjoy golf or mental game lessons, follow along this weekend as I’ll be sharing more highlights and insights from the Open championship.

🎥: The Open

Video

— https://nitter.net/MVP_Mindset/status/2078125149929509253#m