Finding Joy In the Process
Two weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to be more healthy. A lot of my friends were on different fitness regimes and, I wanted to be in on all the action. I started going for more regular walks. When I found myself doing these walks frequently, I began to be proud of myself for being consistent. In my excitement, I shared the good news with my close friends. I regretted my decision the moment I saw their responses. They were more interested know how many steps did I clock, on average. I just was not able to wrap my mind around it. As far as I was concerned, it was just walking. Hey, at least I got myself moving.
But sadly, people were so caught up with outcomes that they failed to enjoy the process of getting there. I am not only talking about fitness, but this works for anything that you want to achieve. We live in a society where we want instant gratification. People feel they need to work hard to achieve their immediate results. They are so results-driven that the only concern for them is how to achieve the outcome. But they fail to realize that the moment they start to enjoy the process, they are one step closer to achieving their goal. You can choose to look at your mundane routine at work as a chore or something fun to anticipate. When you enjoy the process, you are determined to achieve your goals. You are no longer bending backward to achieve something, but you are going about it in a comfortable place.
Enjoying the process gives you sustainability. My friends work very hard at the gym to allow themselves a 'cheat' day. After a day of indulgence, they hit the gym to lose all the calories. That is mentally exhausting. You don't have to be hard on yourself when you are enjoying the process. Allow yourself to be satisfied by having small bites of whatever you fancy. Then you won't need any more 'cheat' days. You have the confidence to keep going because you are enjoying the process. Do you need proof? Think about this for a moment. What do you enjoy doing? Examples: Instagram, Tik Tok, Reading, Running, Netflix etc. You never get tired of it; however mundane it gets because you just enjoy watching it. We do not skip through a 16-episode TV series so we can head to the conclusion. We laboriously trudge through the episodes one after another, simply because we enjoy it.
We will feel joyful and good when we start to enjoy the process. Finding joy in the process is the recipe for success, as it keeps you going. It also helps to combat stress. And your outcome will take care of itself when you simply take a deep breath and enjoy the process. What are some of the things you can do to enjoy the process?
1) Take small steps to improve yourself - even if its only a 1% improvement (it is still worth something)
2) Celebrate yourself when you are consistent.
3) Be grateful for your mistakes and learn from them. You can then share your learning journey with the people around you.
You will learn to enjoy the process and to surrender your need to control the result. You will discover the joy of practicing your creativity. The process, not the product will become your focus - Julia Cameron
