WEBVTT - Enjoy the process

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that if fear of rejection is getting in

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<v Speaker 1>your way, focus on the process of what you want

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<v Speaker 1>to do and not the results. Today's tip comes from

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<v Speaker 1>author and entrepreneur Zhao Zhang. who was a guest on

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<v Speaker 1>this podcast recently. Zhao explained that sometimes people are afraid

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<v Speaker 1>to pursue a goal because they are worried about whether

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<v Speaker 1>they will succeed at it. He says not to worry

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<v Speaker 1>about failure or rejection or the outcome. These are often

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<v Speaker 1>not completely in our control anyway. Instead, focus on the process.

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<v Speaker 1>In his book Easy Discipline, he writes, In our conversation,

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<v Speaker 1>he noted that high achievers tend to love what they

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<v Speaker 1>are doing for the work itself. When they love the

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<v Speaker 1>work itself, it's easy to spend more time on it

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<v Speaker 1>and to continue to get better. I love this idea

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<v Speaker 1>of focusing on and enjoying the process. In so many

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<v Speaker 1>areas of life, making sure you love the process is

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<v Speaker 1>probably going to help you achieve more and worry less

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<v Speaker 1>about the outcome. If you want to write a novel,

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<v Speaker 1>presumably you like writing. So focus on writing. Don't worry

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<v Speaker 1>so much about whether your novel is going to get

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<v Speaker 1>published or how many copies it will eventually sell. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you might want to stick within certain guidelines like the

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<v Speaker 1>basic idea of genres or what makes a book marketable.

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<v Speaker 1>You want to focus primarily on on the writing itself.

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<v Speaker 1>When you focus on what you are doing, what you enjoy,

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<v Speaker 1>you will be happier and you will spend more time

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<v Speaker 1>on the writing than if you focus on results, which

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<v Speaker 1>are uncertain. Savor the process of getting your words on

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<v Speaker 1>the page and making them better, perhaps with the help

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<v Speaker 1>and feedback of people who do know the market and

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<v Speaker 1>can help you produce something that you love and readers

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<v Speaker 1>will love too. If you are training for a marathon,

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy your training runs. Don't fixate on whether your time

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<v Speaker 1>in a local marathon is going to qualify you for

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<v Speaker 1>the Boston Marathon. Savor how good it feels to run

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<v Speaker 1>long on a beautiful fall morning. Savor how good it

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<v Speaker 1>feels to run faster than you could a few weeks ago. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>that is not to say that outcomes don't matter. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 1>they do. We need to make a living. We have

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<v Speaker 1>things we want to do in life. And there are

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<v Speaker 1>ways to be smart. about all of this. But when

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<v Speaker 1>you focus primarily on process and make sure to choose

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<v Speaker 1>a process you truly love, then the outcomes often take

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<v Speaker 1>care of themselves. This is easy discipline. You are not

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<v Speaker 1>forcing yourself to do something unpleasant. I am always looking

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<v Speaker 1>for ways to spend more of my time writing. It's

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<v Speaker 1>truly what I love to do. And that makes it

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<v Speaker 1>possible to write a lot. I would add that when

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<v Speaker 1>you focus on the process, you are also focusing on

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<v Speaker 1>something that is within your control. It is up to

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<v Speaker 1>you whether you write 500 words today or do that

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<v Speaker 1>eight-mile run in your marathon training plan or show up

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<v Speaker 1>at the block party. You can count on getting the

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<v Speaker 1>enjoyment of these activities and the satisfaction of doing what

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<v Speaker 1>you intended to do. If you are hinging your satisfaction

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<v Speaker 1>on whether a particular agent wants to represent you, or

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<v Speaker 1>whether you beat last year's time in a race, or

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<v Speaker 1>whether you meet a best friend at that block party,

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<v Speaker 1>then satisfaction isn't guaranteed. So focus on the process. Keep

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<v Speaker 1>your sights on what is within your control. And make

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<v Speaker 1>sure to enjoy the experience along the way. When you do, often,

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<v Speaker 1>The outcome will happen eventually. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening. And here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>laura at lauravandercam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.

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