I’ve spent most of my life trying to wrestle outcomes into place.
Tech sales. Brand building. Hunting seasons.
Different arenas. Same impulse.
Work harder. Push more. Force the result.
But there’s a quiet truth that keeps meeting me in the woods and at my desk.
There are only a few things I can control, and almost none of them are the end result.
You can control your process.
You can control your effort.
You can control your attitude.
You can’t control the deer stepping out.
You can’t control the timing of a signature.
You can’t control the algorithm.
You can’t control the wind.
And yet we tie our joy to the outcome like the outcome was ever ours to claim.
It shows up in deer season first.
When all you want is a buck to appear, everything else feels like disappointment.
A flock of turkeys drifting through the frost.
A doe tending to her fawn.
The stillness that teaches you something new about the woods.
All of it dismissed because it’s not the thing you decided mattered.
That’s what attachment does.
It blinds you to the good that’s already unfolding.
It narrows your world until only one result counts.
I’ve caught myself doing the same thing with big tech deals.
A contract I want to land.
An upsell that could shift my entire year.
A proof of concept with a clear shot.
I do everything I can.
I prepare.
I follow up.
I build relationships.
I stay consistent.
I stay honest.
And some part of me still wants to grip the ending.
Still wants to say, “This better close.”
But that’s not how success works.
And it’s not how the woods work.
The only part that actually belongs to you is the process.
This season, I keep reminding myself that I can’t drag the future where I want it to go.
I can only practice discipline.
I can only show up with the same authenticity every day.
I can only keep building Wilderness Father in a way that feels real.
I can only keep managing my pipeline with care.
The rest isn’t mine.
Let the chips fall.
Let the cards show themselves.
Let the deals work out or not.
Let the deer appear or not.
Let the dream grow in its own timing.
But don’t let any of it decide your attitude as the year closes.
Don’t let results tell you whether you’re grateful or defeated.
Don’t let the desire for one specific thing steal every other good thing that’s happening right in front of you.
We aren’t promised outcomes.
We’re only promised the chance to give everything we’ve got.
And that’s enough.
FIELD
Use squirrels as your early warning system. Not when they bark.
When they stop barking.
Sudden silence in the canopy often means something larger just entered their zone.
Deer movement often matches this rhythm.
MINDSET: The Process Triangle
1. Show up with intention
Control your effort. Control your consistency. Control the way you approach the work or the hunt. This is the foundation of everything.
2. Let go of the outcome
You can guide the process, but you can’t force timing or results. Release whatever isn’t yours to steer so you don’t carry anxiety that doesn’t belong to you.
3. Look for the progress
Notice the small gains. The refinement. The discipline. The lessons. When you measure growth instead of results, you stay grounded and steady.
Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
Lao Tsu
If you measured your days by effort and intention instead of results, how would your attitude shift?
Annual tradition of putting together the advent calendar that was passed down from my mother to me. Being able to witness my daughter experience the holidays brings back the magic of Christmas.
