Do you set yourself goals? Perhaps a daily tick list or a list of jobs for the week? I do - I love the act of writing a to-do list, and even more the self-gratifying moment of ticking something off that list. It makes me feel good that I've achieved something, I have something to prove I've put the last few minutes, hours, or days to good use; I've achieved something and been productive.
But what if our goals didn't have to focus on us being productive? What if we only set ourselves and focused on goals that didn't have a yield, but were more feeling or emotionally based? What if we had no measurable way of seeing if we had been successful in our attempts to reach such a goal?
I frequently tell myself, I'm going to spend less time on my phone and spend more time being 'present', but my iPhone is out to thwart me at every turn. Each week it proudly sends me a report that at least every other week tells me, your usage time went up by x% this week. I've become caught up in a cycle of spending time checking my phone to see how much time I've spent on my phone. It's a vicious circle.
But what about our other goals? Who here has made a new year's resolution to read more books, eat less cake, get outside more often? And who here has found that they have achieved their goals, been productive in their tasks to achieve more, be better, or digress less? And how many of us have managed that without having to remind ourselves of the progress we have made, or are yet to make?
I read an article a few weeks ago, that got me thinking on this notion - that perhaps a goal can be more about the journey to the outcome, than the outcome itself - and I must say, it left me feeling almost refreshed! While this does mean I won't necessarily get my moment to pat myself on the back for having been a busy little bee for completing all my tasks, perhaps I could enjoy the process of doing them instead. It would certainly allow for a longer moment of satisfaction!
“Practice becoming invested in the process rather than the outcome.”
— KATINA MOUNTANOS, ON ADULTING
As a 'creative', this approach also holds appeal for me. Sometimes I can be so focused on reaching a level of perfection that the final product is anticlimactic, sometimes even disappointing. But some of the things I have the fondest memories of, where rehearsals for a concert with my school orchestra. The few weeks leading to a performance were some of the best, when we hit the turning point, the music sounded great and we felt a sense of elation that we could actually do this! Similarly, for me, the two weeks my theatre company spent in the lead up to a run of performances were the best part of the production. They were the most exciting - seeing the changes and developments come to life, spending down time with the rest of the company, preparing for the main event.
Have any of you had similar experiences? I'd love to hear if you have - or, if like me, you've previously focused on the finish line, I challenge you to stop and take a minute to see where you've got to so far. To see how far you've already come, how well you've done, and how much you've already learned, or acknowledge how much effort you've already put in. Perhaps you too can be inspired to set an unmotivated goal or appreciating the process as much as the outcome?
