“It is only the results that matter.” – we are so used to this phrase that it has put many of us in a dilemma (including me).
However, if we look at the whole picture, the result is just the cherry on top of the cake beneath, just the tip of the iceberg whose bottom is hidden deep into the sea.
So, how can it single-handedly overpower the importance of hard work before it?
The problem is we are so used to seeing results that we have become blind to what preceded it. Scan through the internet for just a few minutes and it is easy to find:
- Motorcyclists performing death-defying stunts.
- Musicians playing an instrument flawlessly.
- Successful bloggers and writers with millions of loyal readers.
- Well-established businesses with customers ready to open their wallets.
But rarely do we see their struggles, sustained injuries, embarrassment, and uncertainty where they spent the majority of their time before success knocked on their doors.
This is like admiring only the tail of an elephant while leaving the rest unattended. Thus, it is not surprising that we set on our journeys with wrong expectations.
Many of us want to reach such a high level in our own endeavor but that comes later (just like the tail) if it ever. Now, let me tell you why this uncertainty and struggle of the process is necessary.
The process > the results
The process shapes us
The grind has value. In fact, a lot. It brings out the qualities in you that otherwise would have been hidden. And those, later, can also be reflected in the other areas of your life.
Take, for example, the struggle to build a successful company:
- You learn to find solutions to problems you never thought would block your way.
- You build endurance with the vagueness that lies ahead.
- You learn to act on faith when the odds are against you.
- You acquire high-value skills such as marketing, writing, and selling.
- You get feedback – good or bad – with the experience you have.
Don’t you think it’s worth taking and keep on taking shots for whatever you are after?
The process makes us humbler
Getting a million bucks painstakingly by investing your money wisely while keeping your patience and emotions in check is much sweeter than winning the same amount in a lottery.
Thus, usually, the happiness of winning a lottery wears out and leads to unnecessary spending to keep the excitement going. Thus, it’s not shocking that 70% of all lottery winners end up bankrupt.
The process differentiates winners and losers
What if everybody gets what they want? That would be chaotic for sure. Thus, the grind is needed to ensure that the cherry gets to the person who wants it bad enough.
It shows who is in it just for the glory and who is immersed in the experience come what may. It differentiates those who give up on failure and those who are stubborn enough to keep going until victory (and even then).
All this isn’t to say that results shouldn’t matter. Of course, they do. We all want money, glory, and victory.
But we all need to be reminded that true results don’t exist without process. And even with temporary failure, you gain something valuable while navigating the process. So, next, let’s take on how to endure the process.
How to endure and enjoy the process
The term “process” is very vague. You don’t know how long it will take. You don’t have any idea whether this will lead to where you want to go. You can’t fully predict all the obstacles that will come in between.
However, there are a few tricks to make this vagueness look less intimidating. Out of those, the one I find the most fascinating and useful is advocated by the comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
The idea is to divide the enormity of the goal at hand into digestible chunks that can be tackled easily. Jerry Seinfeld used a calendar to keep track of his daily goal – to write jokes.
When he was done with his daily tasks, he crossed the date in his calendar. With that, his goal turned to crossing the date. That seemed less scary to do, especially when he had some consecutive days already marked.
He said now your only task is to keep the chain of “crosses” going on. This helps you in many ways:
- You will have visible proof of how much progress you have made.
- You will find the process less intimidating.
- You may find it fun to turn it into a kind of game you play.
So, to pull it off, you need to define a small list of tasks that are crucial to be done daily to reach your goal.
And then, when you are done with them for the day, cross the mark to move on to other distractions.
Read more: Is Motivation Important To Get Your Tasks Done? Try This Instead
Conclusion
As I said earlier, the process is the entire elephant with the tail as your desired result at the end. We all get turned on for the victory but only a few of us will give the path to reach it its proper respect.
Thus, the question isn’t what you want. It’s what you can endure to get it.
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