Our Misconceptions About Input and Output

This post is inspired from an article - Super Linear Returns - that I’ve read from Paul Graham.

There's a common misconception about the relationship between input and output, especially in many areas of life.

In school, you were taught that if you put in "x," you'll get "y." For example, if x = y, then 2x = 2y. 

But in life, and in evolution, things are rarely linear—especially when you're working toward a goal and expecting specific outcomes.

Your input (work, thoughts, efforts)  and output are not the same as others', whether physically, genetically, or emotionally.

• Just because you put in twice the effort doesn't mean you'll get twice the result. 

• And it doesn’t mean that others who put in the same effort will get the same results either. 

You—or they—might end up with three times the result, or none at all.

We must train ourselves to accept this nonlinear reality. 

Here’s another example of life’s ups and downs:

In soccer, you can train ten times harder than anyone else, only to be sidelined by an injury that pulls you away from the sport you love.

Or, you might invest money into a declining business, hoping it will bounce back—only to lose your investment and be forced to start over.

While you cannot control the unpredictability of life’s ups and downs, you can minimize the extremes—especially the negative ones. Things like debt, alcohol, and shortcuts may offer short-term benefits, but they lead to long-term damage, whether financially, emotionally, or spiritually.

When things don’t turn out as expected, don’t get discouraged—just keep going and put in the work to ride out the short-term, non-linear path.