"I don't know how to put it, but yet you know we have so many people who the way they look at life, the way they work depends on what happens, us winning or losing. It's kind of crazy. So, I kind of got caught up in that, I'm gonna try to stay away from that"

He’s candid about the trap of outcome-based identity. He observes how people let their outlook on life and even their work ethic rise and fall with the scoreboard. When victory becomes the only lens, meaning and motivation get hijacked. That volatility feels “crazy” because it turns a game’s binary result into a referendum on personal worth. He admits being pulled into that mindset and makes a conscious choice to step away.

In the world of high-level competition, the scoreboard is seductive: it simplifies complexity, offers instant judgment, and invites extremes. But overidentifying with wins and losses produces emotional whiplash, euphoria that breeds complacency after a win and despair that breeds panic after a loss. It also fosters short-term thinking, where process, learning, and character are abandoned for quick fixes. By pushing back, he’s arguing for a steadier compass: standards that don’t sway with the final score, accountability rooted in preparation, and pride taken in the work itself.

This is not a plea for softness. Detaching identity from outcomes doesn’t mean caring less; it means caring better. It shifts attention to controllables, effort, discipline, teamwork, while treating results as feedback rather than fate. That approach builds resilience in a locker room and stability in leadership: players know what’s expected regardless of yesterday’s headlines, and coaches resist reactionary swings that undermine trust.

The insight travels beyond sports. Many workplaces tie esteem to quarterly numbers, public opinion, or social metrics. When external validation dictates how people “look at life” and “the way they work,” burnout and cynicism follow. Choosing to resist that pressure is a bid for healthier motivation: improve your craft, honor your commitments, and let the score reflect, not define, who you are.

There’s humility in the admission, “I don’t know how to put it,” and resolve in the pivot to “stay away from that.” The deeper wisdom: treat winning as information, losing as instruction, and measure character by the consistency you bring when both arrive.