Another helpful analogy can be seen in billiards. Playing nine-ball is a cutthroat game. Namely, all the hard work in sinking balls one through eight is for naught unless you successfully sink the nine-ball, i.e. close the deal. You can sink the first eight balls yourself and play a fantastic game. But despite all of your successful efforts, just one good shot from your competitor when on the nine-ball will seal the deal in his favor.
Similarly, in business, it doesn’t really matter how well you play throughout the game, unless you won, get paid, or close the deal. All your hard work could generate a good reputation and good business leads for you; however, to truly be successful, you have to complete whatever you are working on at the top of your game—just like in nine-ball.
