How to Enjoy the Process

We sort of know that enjoying the process rather than idolizing the results is key to our success. We’re told to enjoy the process by successful people from all walks of life and can easily see that the people who love what they’re doing are generally happier and more successful.

But sometimes the process sucks.

Sometimes you don’t feel like working out.

Sometimes you don’t want to prep your meals.

And, sometimes drinking all of your water feels like a chore.

So how are we supposed to enjoy the process even when it sucks?

The key to always enjoying the process is reflection.

Constant reflection on what the process is giving you in the short-term and what it will give you in the long-term can help make the process suck less.

Reflection connects the process to our long-term goals and ‘why’.

It gives us the space to take a step back and realize that the process we are following is good for us, even when it does suck.

An example here is reflecting after each workout.

You might reflect that in the short-term that workout gives you energy and in the long-term it will give you a strong healthy body.

Maybe the workout makes you feel more confident at work in the short-term and will help you advance your career more rapidly in the long-term.

Or perhaps completing a particular workout could show you that you’re capable of pushing past limits and convince you that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

In practice, this could be as simple as taking five minutes to reflect in a journal with pen and paper or even taking time to think to yourself.

We all know that most of the things we make part of our process are good for us, but that doesn’t make them suck any less at times.

But, reflecting on what our process actually gives us reminds us that the process is still enjoyable even if it does suck sometimes.