“Process saves us from the poverty of our intentions.” — Elizabeth King
“Fall in love with the process and the results will follow.” — Bradley Whitford
“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.” — Elbert Hubbard
Detach inputs from outputs.
Enjoy the process. The journey itself is the reward.
So often people focus all their energy on the summits—but completely fail to recognize that 99% of life is spent on the climb. The climb is the fun part.
Having things isn’t fun. Getting things is fun.
Achieving goals is overrated, striving toward them is underrated.
- Remember: Successful and unsuccessful people share the same goal. The person who has the most fun wins.
Attach to input/intention. Detach from output/outcomes. Focus on efforts (which generate dopamine), not outcomes. Forget about outcomes, focus on growth/processes instead. Be genuinely not care about the outcomes.
The wedding is an event, love is a practice. The graduation is an event, education is a practice. The race is an event, fitness is a practice. 1 The focus and energy we lavish on events can easily distract us from the journeys we care about.
Trust the process & Have faith in the process — Every step happens for a reason, and something even better is on the way.
Think of Your Work as “Efforts”, not “Projects.”
- A project is a sequence of tasks that must be completed within a defined timeline to attain a certain outcome. An effort is an exertion of energy to do something—where the steps, deadlines, and outcomes may or may not be clearly defined.
- Projects are rigid and narrowly defined (top-down) with a hard deadline. Efforts are freeing, fluid, expandable and loosely defined (bottom-up), allowing ideas to breath
- If you work in a corporate environment with clear deadlines, you’ll be fine with projects. If your work requires creativity, you’ll find this approach profound, liberating, and empowering.
The Quest Mentality
- Instead of treating your goals like to-do list items, try turning them into quests (= a journey, an adventure toward a specific mission or a goal).
- Goals are practical attempts to change your circumstances/situations. A quest is personally transformative – the endeavor itself shapes who you are (your identity), and what you’re capable of (your potential).
The Checkpoint Mentality
- “It’s just a checkpoint, not the destination.”
“Here’s how to live: Master something.” by Derek Sivers
How long will it take you to become a master?
It doesn’t matter.
Imagine getting to a mountaintop after a long hike through a gorgeous forest.
Achieving your goal would feel like taking off your backpack.
By James Clear
If you want to be an author, you can’t only choose the finished novel and book signings. You are also choosing months of lonely typing.
If you want to be a bodybuilder, you can’t only choose the fit body and attention. You are also choosing the boring meals and calorie counting.
By Sahil Bloom
I no longer focus on the journey or the destination, I focus on the people (companionship).
When you surround yourself with inspiring people, the journeys become more beautiful and the destinations become more brilliant.
Focus on the company—the people you want to journey with—and you’ll find that the journey reveals itself in due time.
Paradox: Although it’s being said that “you got to focus on the journey because there is no guarantee on the destination”, you need a destination to get into the journey. Without a destination, there is no journey—just movement.
See also:
Footnotes
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Similar analogy: Climate v.s Weather ↩