I’m a goal oriented person. I believe in making small, realistic goals I can easily achieve. However, I also have bigger, long term goals that are increasingly elusive. Recently, I shared this frustration with a friend who made an interesting observation. She suggested that I focus on the process rather than the result. The idea intrigued me.
My two big, long term goals are losing weight and selling books. I’ve had these goals for many years with varying levels of success. I’m a lapsed Weight Watchers Lifetime Member. That means I did achieve this big goal, but have since regained the weight. I have yet to receive a publishing contract. But, I do have a body of work that has done well in contests, been requested by editors and agents, and come super close to selling.
So let’s break this down. If I make better food choices, watch portion sizes, and increase my water intake, I will feel better even if I don’t reach a magic number on the scale. And, if I continue putting words on the page, learning my craft, and submitting, I will be closer to success than if I did nothing! More so, I will be better prepared to hit the ground running when the time comes.
Instead of zeroing in on the fact that I have yet to achieve these two goals, and feeling like a huge failure, it’s beneficial to realize that I am doing the things necessary to get the results I want. If I stay focused on the process and the fact that I’m doing the work, I’ll be less likely to feel discouraged. And in the end, the results will be exactly what I hoped and dreamed. I’m going to give it a shot.