Outcome Sets

Wise pursuit of complex goals involves balancing sets of outcomes, not focusing on simple metrics. 

The interconnections of real life are so seamless that they can be visualized as water - and every action we take - or program we start - is like throwing a rock into the pond of existence. Every action taken creates not just the initial splash that was intended, but also an expanding ripple of unintended but nonetheless inseparable outcomes.   

For example, while we can naturally think that a key outcome of dating is marriage, matrimony isn’t a simple outcome; it involves an interconnected set of outcomes spanning legal, emotional, relational and financial categories (to name a few). From this vantage, the work of marriage (or parenting, employment or any other life pursuit) is to navigate the changing profile of this outcome set with the goal of optimizing the overall mix over time. 

Shifting our thinking toward sets of outcomes and away from the simplistic focus on independent and intended outcomes will provide a big step toward more realistic planning and problem solving.