Stop Focusing on the Outcome
Have you ever had a goal where you work hard and diligently to meet the goal – to only be disappointed when the outcome did not come the way you wanted it? Stop focusing on the outcome!
When I think about goals and processes, I often think about sports. You’re an athlete and you train, practice, diet, and sacrifice to reach your goal. However, after all your work, you do not win the tournaments. Does this mean that all the work was useless?
Not at all!
It’s About the Process!
Sometimes we become so focused on the outcome that we disregard the process – but the outcome is often beyond our control.
If you thought about an exam, much of the outcome is out of your control. You do not control the questions the teacher puts on the exam; the mood of the teacher when they are marking your specific exam; or how the teacher sets the curve based on how the rest of the class does. These factors are not in your control.
The process, however, is within your control. You can do all the homework, attend every class, ask the teacher questions about anything you do not understand. This is within your control.
Stop Focusing on the Outcome to See the Value!
Regardless of the outcome, you can give yourself a A+ for the process.
The same applies to sports – you may not win the tournament (which is often out of our control), but you can grade yourself on the process, which you do have control about.
This tweak in perspective can provide new insight, compassion, and determination. It shows that the work we do is worth it because we did what we could – what we had control of – and the rest is out of our hands.
Try it out – look at the process rather than the outcome, and you will begin to see that perhaps we need to invest more in the process or we can conclude that we get an A+ on the process whether we got the outcome we wanted or not.
Your Free Handout
Click this link to view in a new window & download: Process or Outcome.
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