What goal have you been working towards? Has this current world situation of COVID-19 put things on hold? Has it been hard to get to the results you wanted? Like nearly everyone, you have experienced setbacks, pain, and frustrations.
I want you to consider the PRIZE and the PROCESS.
The difficulty you are experiencing in the pursuit of your goal is normal. Pain, adversity, and failure are just a part of the process that you must go through…even extreme difficulty like business and gatherings being shut down, and the world being turned upside down because of a virus.
Focus on the PROCESS rathe than the PRIZE.
We live in an “I want it now” world, where nearly everything is accessible in a moments notice. In a moment you can get a piece of information…in a moment you can get a meal…in a moment you can get a hold of someone anywhere in the world. In this day and age so many things are possible “in a moment”.
But one thing you can’t get in a moment is the prize. The prize in your life does not come quickly, and it does not come easily.
And there will always be unexpected setbacks you cannot anticipate or predict. Things may happen to delay the prize even more, but just remember it’s the process that’s most important.
The prize is the relationship you want, the weight you want to be at, the amount of money you want to make, the health you want, the job you want to have, the marathon you want to run, or any other worthwhile goal.
The prize takes time…and it takes pain. It requires a process.
You cannot skip the process and go directly to the prize! You have to be patient, you have to keep working, you have to stay focused. The patience you have today will lead to your breakthrough tomorrow, if you do not give up.
You’ve already been going this long, you can’t quit now! Be patient, the prize will come if you keep working at it, making small progress each day.
Remember, slow progress is still progress.
Not only must you be patient, but you must also push through the pain. The pain you are going through is a part of the process. It will pass…it will get better. Fighting for your goal means you fight through the pain.
No worthwhile prize can be attained without the pain.
You may go through pain for a month, a year, 5 years or even longer. The greater your goal, the greater the pain and the greater the obstacles. The one thing you cannot do is give up! Just because your in pain does not mean you should quit. You’re already in pain, you might as well get something out of it.
Don’t let all the pain you’ve experienced to this point be nor naught. Keep pushing, keep getting back up, keep going.
Perhaps you feel like you are taking one step forward and two steps backward. Maybe it seems all the forces are fighting against you. Remember that what you are going through is a part of the necessary process of reaching your goal.
One day that relationship will be where you want it to be. One day you will have that career, that degree, that money in savings. One day you will be at that weight you want. One day will come. Will you stay with the process even if the prize does not come when you think it should?
If you didn’t have any obstacles, any failures, any adversities, then your prize wouldn’t be very worthwhile.
Stick with the process. It’s not even about attaining the prize anyway, it’s about who you become and what you learn along the way. Yes, the prize is important. Yes, the prize is greatly desired, maybe even necessary, but what happens inside you during the journey is more important than the destination itself.
Commit to the process!
The process requires patience, it requires pain. Don’t focus on the prize or you may forget about the process. Focus on the process and the prize will eventually come.
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours.”
-Henry David Thoreau
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“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.”
-Margaret Thatcher
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“Success doesn’t happen overnight. Keep your eye
on the prize and don’t look back.”
-Erin Andrews
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“The secret of making dreams come true can be summarized in four C’s.
They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy.
-Walt Disney