Tennis legend, Andre Agassi, has some insight on this, “Now that I’ve won a slam, I know something very few people on earth are permitted to know. A win doesn’t feel as good as a loss feels bad, and the good feeling doesn’t last long as the bad. Not even close.”
…That’s rough.
It’s true, achieving that kind of level of mastery is something only a few will ever reach. I can’t even begin to imagine the time, commitment and sacrifice it takes to be considered one of the best at a certain craft. Yet, when we become too attached to the outcome we forget why we are even doing such things in the first place.
Agassi also points out, “Freed from the thoughts of winning, I instantly play better. I stop thinking, start feeling. My shots become a half-second quicker, my decisions become the product of instinct rather than logic.
There is no substitute for flow. When you reach the top of the mountain, there is only one decision to make. Keep climbing. Perhaps for different reasons now.
Attachment is detrimental to our experience.