Hi.
Am I here to promise that you’re going to be a hot millionaire who owns fancy yachts in the next 5 years? Definitely not. This post isn’t about that. It is, however, about perspective on achieving success in a positive way.
For me, a dream or a passion project should make me 1% better each day and expand my comfort zone. It’s an action I take towards what I’m inspired to do instead of what I’m expected to do.
You might ask, how do I summon the courage to stand out from the crowd?
How do I "enjoy" working on something unique when it’s excruciatingly different from what the rest of the population does?
Well, without any judgement, it's safe to say that most people rarely try something unique in life. They subscribe to conventional wisdom and believe narratives that don’t match with what their heart says, and have a tendency to compulsively discourage those who try to listen to their heart.
I don’t know how a society got built this way, but they leave a bad effect by bringing everyone down.
If you want different results than most people, you have to be okay with doing something different.
To be different, you have to build strong mindsets that will actualize your dreams. One of the most important mindset shifts is to "enjoy the process" rather than "obsess over the outcome".
I may not be able to promise you'll become the next person who makes 15 crores in just a year, like some guy on YouTube.
But here are seven ways you can strengthen your trust in the process.
#1. Extreme Capability
Have you ever thought that something was very difficult, but you did it and it wasn’t half as bad as you thought it would be?
Every time I try something challenging and complete it, I realised how much easier it was than I thought it’d be—-challenges are not meant to be easy, just easier than your assumption.
It reminds us of how much our human minds are capable of.
More challenges you embrace in life, it becomes a habit. You’ll have subconscious evidence to remind yourself of this feeling each time you try something even more difficult.
That, you can make it work.
We never know what we are capable of. But it’s definitely more than you think.
It's important to note that you won’t raise the bar until you try new things instead of obsessing over a calculated outcome. Get rid of fixed, rigid goals and try new things. That way, the process is more fun and you learn more than you planned for.
#2. Suck at Things
During my post-grad in Econ, I was disorganized. Very unproductive. Quite lazy. And procrastinated until the due date. I obsessed over grades.
Yet, when I was writing for gigs, communicating, and learning psychology through non-fiction ---- I was very productive, very organised with notes, getting freelance projects done, and pushing myself to work very hard. I loved the process.
How could I be both?
I bet you have both of these sides in you too. Some of us never explore the other end of this spectrum. They label themselves as "lazy" or "I don’t like doing _____". But ask yourself: "What do I enjoy doing?"
We all suck at "some" things, but we are good at "some" things too.
There are small "sub-sets" of activities that are not hard to focus on. You enjoy doing them. You know how to solve complex things in these "sub-jects".
Bring your discipline to the things you are good at. Ignore pretty much everything else.
#3. A New Direction
Life is quite straight-forward. You create a cause, and you get something as an effect.
Eat a cheeseburger, get fatter. Eat veggie salads, get healthier. Read a book, get smarter. Watch sitcoms, get lazier.
You are always doing something that is shifting the compass in a new direction —by making decisions.
We know this intuitively, but it's hard to do it in real life. Life feels like it’s complex from time to time —-you hate the job you work at; you drown worries by partying on weekends; you make a pre-approved list of life choices —- not knowing how to escape it.
The answer is in making choices. One step at a time. Notice the nuances in every choice you make and choose the direction that will help you change.
The process of growth guarantees the best outcomes. The key is always in your hands. In the present.
#4. Days you "don’t feel like"
While working on goals, projects, and dreams, who find some days excruciatingly irritated or tired, when you don’t "feel like" working.
Enjoyment" is the last thing you feel these days. The process just seems futile. You do, however, have to work on these days too. Especially on these days.
Why? Because, if you halt your progress every time you feel tired or irritated, it means you lack discipline.
There aren't many grandiose moments in life. It is made up of small ordinary parts of your day that combine to help you succeed. Success comes by repetition, and repetition is the symbol of discipline. It all connects.
During "off" days, you don’t have to make an extraordinary effort. Just make sure you don’t go backwards (by doing nothing at all).
Do something that adds to your progress. Congratulate yourself for showing up. This is how you build the blocks of success. Simple.
#5. Compromises ≠ Sacrifices
Like Gary V says, you don’t have to "crush it!" Give your dreams extra time, patience, and energy.
Compromise is not sacrificing your free time.
You don’t have to cancel Prime Video, but you probably have to watch less of it. You don’t have to be sleep-deprived, but you might have to wake up an hour (or two) early to fit projects into your schedule.
One of the most common excuses is always, "I don't have time." You do. You just have to reduce your time for other things.
You probably have college, internship, or even a job. But it can be as simple as waking up early, or an hour after dinner, or on weekends. Something. Anything.
Small compromises go a long way. You’ll feel less stuck in life and more empowered in the process. In college, I used to long for those "few hours" in the morning to work on my side projects. The only time I felt like I was doing something solely for myself.
#5. Compromises ≠ SacrificesLike
Gary V #4. Days you "don’t feel like" While working on goals, projects, and dreams, who find some days excruciatingly irritated or tired, when you don’t "feel like" working.
Enjoyment" is the last thing you feel these days. The process just seems futile. You do, however, have to work on these days too. Especially on these days.
Why? Because, if you halt your progress every time you feel tired or irritated, it means you lack discipline.
There aren't many grandiose moments in life. It is made up of small ordinary parts of your day that combine to help you succeed. Success comes by repetition, and repetition is the symbol of discipline. It all connects.
During "off" days, you don’t have to make an extraordinary effort. Just make sure you don’t go backwards (by doing nothing at all).
Do something that adds to your progress. Congratulate yourself for showing up. This is how you build the blocks of success. Simple.
#6. Naïveté is optimism
If you want different results in life, you are going to have to be different than most people. Be okay with that.
Much of what other people believe is not right. People fit themselves into conventional lifestyles without questioning it. To them, it’s odd to not follow the rules.
They think I’m too naive to follow my dreams. But you have to be naive to think you’re the one who’s going to make it big. I am okay with being the odd one who trusts the process. Being odd is unique. It is useful to be more imaginative.
When you’re on the road less travelled, some think you're dumb for doing that. But you know what’s really dumb? To kill your uniqueness without even giving it a chance.
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the only ones that do. Jobs, Steve
#7. Opportunity or limitation?
When you imagine your dream life, does it come from a place of opportunity or limitation?
Do you dream of doing something in life, because you want to become rich, or do you dream of a life where you work to be financially free?
Do you wish you to stop being shy or you wish to become more confident?
The way you frame your dreams can have the same objective but drastically shift the focus on the right things. The way you focus is the way you attract results.
On one hand, you are focusing on what is lacking in your life, and on the other hand, you are focusing on attracting positive opportunities.
When you obsess over the outcome, you are in need of something that is lacking in your life. But when you focus on enjoying the process, you are open to new and unexpected opportunities.
It makes a world of difference.
, you don’t have to "crush it!" But give your dreams extra time, patience, and energy.
Compromise is not sacrificing your free time.
You don’t have to cancel Prime Video, but you probably have to watch less of it. You don’t have to be sleep-deprived, but you might have to wake up an hour (or two) early to fit projects into your schedule.
One of the most common excuses is always, "I don't have time." You do. You just have to reduce your time for other things.
You probably have college, internship, or even a job. But it can be as simple as waking up early, or an hour after dinner, or on weekends. Something. Anything.
Small compromises go a long way. You’ll feel less stuck in life and more empowered in the process. In college, I used to long for those "few hours" in the morning to work on my side projects. The only time I felt like I was doing something solely for myself.
#6. Naïveté is optimism If you want different results in life, you are going to have to be different than most people. Be okay with that.
Much of what other people believe is not right. People fit themselves into conventional lifestyles without questioning it. To them, it’s odd to not follow the rules.
They think I’m too naive to follow my dreams. But you have to be naive to think you’re the one who’s going to make it big. I am okay with being the odd one who trusts the process. Being odd is unique. It is useful to be more imaginative.
When you’re on the road less travelled, some think you're dumb for doing that. But you know what’s really dumb? To kill your uniqueness without even giving it a chance.
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the only ones that do. Jobs, Steve
#7. Opportunity or limitation?
When you imagine your dream life, does it come from a place of opportunity or limitation?
Do you dream of doing something in life, because you want to become rich, or do you dream of a life where you work to be financially free?
Do you wish you to stop being shy or you wish to become more confident?
The way you frame your dreams can have the same objective but drastically shift the focus on the right things. The way you focus is the way you attract results.
On one hand, you are focusing on what is lacking in your life, and on the other hand, you are focusing on attracting positive opportunities.
When you obsess over the outcome, you are in need of something that is lacking in your life. But when you focus on enjoying the process, you are open to new and unexpected opportunities.
It makes a world of difference.