The Power of Process
The event feels good. The process is the good.
Much of the success we witness in life comes not from a single event, but from the process. Whether it’s seen or not, behind all progress there is a sturdy process.
Today, it’s easy to believe that the one-liners, memes, and catchy slogans are what attract the followers; what drive the likes and shares. It’s easy to believe that sports teams commonly go from worst to first. While there is some truth here, it very rarely works that way.
It’s easy to lose sight of all that actually went into the big sales pitch… The process that’s repeatable. What steps did it take? How many ideas happened before the main thought that was the genius behind the meme?
Teams that last, are built over time. Processes that last are well thought out, take time, and require plenty of tweaking. Followers don’t flock to you in a matter of weeks. What draws them in is the unseen work that’s put in over years not days.
Lasting success stems from a journey of learning what doesn’t work to arrive at what does. Unseen, but baked into the simple one-liners are often years or decades of painstaking work.
While flash is important it’s not the foundation that drives the genius. Flash is the event. Process is the genius.
Process Is Easy To Overlook
If we take a moment to assess and break down what drives long-term success, we’ll find the painting of a much more detailed picture. Processes are easy to overlook because they’re rarely exciting. We don’t jump to learn about what it takes to be a real estate investor for example. We want to pay $1,500 for a Saturday seminar and expect to become a real estate mogul just by simply attending.
Process is often overlooked as it is much less exciting and requires a lot more sweat than showing up to an event.
Recently, I was discussing this with a great teacher of wisdom, Hassan Boyle. Hassan shared a phenomenal thought that really resonated,
“Most people don’t understand the process. They look for events. Most look for events to change their life, but it doesn’t happen that way. It only happens through process. During the time of process we must learn to believe, to maintain control of ourselves, to give thanks, and to live a good life by leading by example. As we do these things, the process will take its natural course. It will take time. It will unfold in a way that provides learning which leads to a level of contentment that events cannot deliver.”
My takeaway was that while events seem important, they’re merely for attracting crowds. If you really are looking for a change, then spend more time in the details of the process.
Events Stir Emotion. Process Delivers Change
Events aren’t encompassing enough, in-depth enough, nor long enough to provide the amount of learning to deliver contentment.
Though it generates much less buzz, the process is what delivers. It provides a level of feedback that can be broken down, iterated on, adjusted, and learned from in a way that provides a path from point A to Point Z. It can be used by the people that follow.
While the emotional highs of events can be filling, they can’t outlast the power of process which ultimately leads to the path of understanding.
We live in a world that’s always on. A world that seemingly has everything and should be full of contentment. Yet, what we see is a state of constant chaos. A world driven from one event to the next. We see individuals bouncing from one emotional need to the next, constantly seeking new and more, as a means to satisfy. We live in a world that needs a lot more time devoted to process, not events.
Seeking “a thing” will never provide the answer. But finding “the thing” will lead to satisfaction.
Determining what it, is and getting clear on where you are, is part of the process.
That’s what creates the journey of life. The one we can explain years later. The process we can leave for those who come behind us to speed up their own learning so they may reach contentment faster.
When it comes to your finances, what does your process look like?
What’s the end result you’re seeking? Is your income and capital allocated in a way that will allow you to reach your goal(s)?
Have you taken a moment to review your optic of money? Are you using money as a tool to create or “a thing” to desire? When we use money as a tool it drives the process of productivity to create contentment in our lives and the community around us.