Obsessing About Your Results Won’t Make You Successful
Obsess about the process instead.
What do you see when you look at the successful people who are where you want to be?
Yes, the results. We focus on what they have achieved because this is where we want to be. Whereas what we should be doing is focusing on the process that got them to where they are in the first place.
When I started working in my previous consulting firm as an associate, I looked at the Managing Partners, thinking I want to be right where they are. And I’ll get there as fast as possible.
After a few weeks in, my first employee reviews takes place. The managing partner I was working with asked me how I feel about the company and my goals.
I straight blank answered, “Becoming Managing Director within the next four years.” A big, bold goal as we love them.
The same happened when I wanted to launch my business. I created a beautiful vision board with my big five goals representing what success means to me.
But that’s the thing.
A beautiful vision board and some pretty big goals will only get you so far. We get so attached to the outcomes that we forgot to focus on what matters: which is the process and doing the fucking work.
Big goals motivate until they hold us back
When I decided to launch my coaching business in France, I set myself the big goal of cracking six figures in a certain amount of time. I love big dreams. It’s what fuels me since I am old enough to understand what a goal is.
I started working on my Instagram presence, looking at what all these successful coaches were already doing. They are so many that are successful (or claiming to be), I just followed along.
And then I started doing something: compare myself to them. I was just starting my business, and I started comparing my results to theirs (based on vanity metrics such as followers.)
It started to get to my mind. I want so much to be on my own, to be able to help my mom, and support my family. Not seeing the results after 30 days just made me depressed (yes, 30 days. You can laugh.)
All of a sudden, my big goal was holding me back more than anything else.
The problem with comparing yourself with someone far more ahead of you is that you don’t necessarily know the process that got that someone there. You’re seeing this person at its peak when she’s already successful. You’re hearing about deciding events or turning points that happen to her.
But it’s not about luck.
It’s about all that we don’t see. We only see the success, but we oversee the work, processes, and systems that these very successful people put in place to get where they are.
You can overcome this paralysis by breaking down your big goals into smaller one
Take that big goal of you, and break it down into more accessible milestones on a given time (30 or 90 days, for example).
What are smaller goals you need to reach to achieve your ultimate goal? For example, if I want to have a six figures year, I’ll need clients. If you are starting from scratch with no audience, one smaller first goal could be to reach the 1000 first newsletter subscribers within your first 90 days.
By breaking down your goal into smaller milestones, you detach yourself from the outcome (in that case, the six-figure year), which can happen years away from now. And on which you have no real direct influence.
Working in 90 days-chunks helps you focus on what’s necessary instead of more complicated (and useless) things. But breaking down your goal is not enough and just half of what you should do.
Break down your smaller goals into a set of actions
If you want to reach 1000 subscribers on your newsletter within 90 days, you’ll need a system, a process in place. And take action every day.
And this is precisely where your focus should be. On the actions you take.
You don’t want to get attached to the more minor results, either. You want to be obsessed with the things you can control: the work you’re doing.
You can do everything you need to do to reach the magic mark of 1000 subscribers. But in the end, you have no real direct influence nor control over these 1000 potential people.
However, you can control your actions. You know that you’ll need a strategy, set up a system, and take action every single day to reach this goal.
Maybe your strategy is to win these people over great content. Well, then one action could be to write an article every day. Another could be writing guest posts to extend your reach. And those are measurable metrics you can control and influence.
Focusing on the actions you’re going to take, on the steps that will get you where you want to be, is the key.
Don’t let shiny results distract you from what matters: doing the work.
Takeaway
Focusing on results makes us do things that are more complicated than necessary
The problem with focusing on the result is that the willing entrepreneur will do many things, some far too complicated for the beginning stage of her business.
The risk is a loss of motivation where that willpower turns into procrastination. And no results at all.
But when the entrepreneur creates a system to follow, with actions to do every day, the unattainable doesn’t seem impossible anymore.
So remember:
- Don’t hang out on your big goal, and certainly don’t let it hold you back
- Break it down into smaller milestones instead that are more digestible
- And then create a system with measurable actions to take every day.
You’ll see that by detaching yourself from the outcome, you’ll be more productive and be able to reach your goals. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it will be a more enjoyable ride for sure.
