Love The Process

For years I’d heard the term, ‘love the process’, and didn’t truly get it and to be honest, it kinda pissed me off.

I would hear that or ‘it’s the journey, not the destination’. Meh…

What I didn’t understand was the growth you experience on the journey makes it all worthwhile. Makes all the long days, and workouts, and extra effort worthwhile. All the choices you make to sacrifice a little in the now, that will benefit you in the long run.

I guess that’s something that comes with age. You get to be around long enough to see the results of your efforts.

What I’ve come to realize is the true magic happens when you’re able to get the best of both worlds. The thing that feels good to do now, and serves you down the road.

In my experience, the best of both worlds happens with some experience, reflection, and deliberate planning. When you take the time to plan out something that follows a progression of some kind, you can see the benefits.

Something that goes step a, b, c… all the way to z (whatever z might be) and before you know it, you’re there.

The first time this happens, it’s a bid confusing. You kind of stand there and go ‘Oh. I got the thing. Hmm. That was interesting, and honestly, a little disappointing. I thought that would be harder / take longer / be more fulfilling.”

Now I’m not saying to say that out loud, because the world has a way of knocking you back down to reality. It’s happened over and over to me. When I think I’ve made it, and I rest for a second, I get hit in the head with a metal pipe / flood / lose my largest customer (all true BTW).

What I am saying is you can get there (wherever there may be for you), and once you’ve “gotten there” on something, shown you have it in you to get that win you planned for, the process gets easier.

I should say, the process of the process gets easier. The journey starts to be a bit more fun because you know without a doubt that you can do it, and what waits for you at the other end.

Giving up those carbs, or that treat, starts to be a bit more fun. Working late, and working hard, starts to be a bit more fun.

Then, after doing this a few times and succeeding, what you start to realize is you don’t have to wait for the feeling of reward that you’re going to get down the road, you can feel a bit of that now. Knowing you’re going to get there, the now becomes part of that joy. The pain and work becomes part of the good feeling.

What happens then is you start to love the process. You start to love the journey. You start to understand that what you are doing today, for tomorrow you, can feel good today.

You learn to love the grind a bit more. You learn to love the moments of silence when you’re planning your days. You learn to love the moments where nobody is watching, where you’re planning your next move.

You learn to love the moments where you know that you have the drive, the talent, and the unshakable belief that what you’re doing is right, and will get you to where you want to go.

If you’re still at the beginning of your journey, and haven’t had your first big process win yet, this can sound a little strange. Sound a lot like BS.

Just trust me, once you love the process, life gets a lot more fun!