Creating vs. Controlling Outcomes

I want to make a distinction about E+R=O and your relationship with outcomes. After 30 years of using E+R=O since I was a teenager, and 20 years of teaching it professionally, I've learned the most important insights from direct experience.

If you're a new subscriber or unfamiliar with E+R=O, you can learn more here.

Accurately understanding your relationship with outcomes revolves around recognizing the difference between creating and controlling.

The ability to create is not the same as the ability to control. You're always creating outcomes but you never control them. Just because you didn't control it doesn't mean you didn't create it. And just because you created it doesn't mean you control it.

That understanding alone, if you build your life on it, will release 50% or more of your current stress and anxiety. What could that be worth to you?

There are no possible responses that give you control of the outcome. No quality of discipline. No level of skill. No amount of preparation.

But there are disciplines, skills, and preparation you can bring to your response that consistently create great outcomes. You can develop the ability to create more of the outcomes you desire, more often.

That's the purpose of E+R=O.

Not to respond better to events, but to create better outcomes. Don't aim to be a great "Event Responder". Aim to be a great "Outcome Creator".

So remember: You're creating, not controlling. That difference is everything.

Make the leap. Do the work.