It rarely makes sense in the moment

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward" - Steve Jobs

We were a late entrant in an extremely crowded field. The margin was the difference. We outexecuted and won.

Because of a grand insight? No.

It was because of numerous little insights gleaned over years of trial, error, win, and loss. Insights that at the time felt insignificant, without value, and until this moment, unconnected. But presented with the right opportunity, the line through these insights became clear.

The lessons I take from this are: (1) stay curious and keep learning because you do not know what will be the missing piece, (2) be patient for you do not know how it will all fit together, and (3) have faith that it will.

What if you're wrong and it never actually will? A very real possibility and I suppose that is what we call risk.