Have you ever worked hard towards a goal, only to feel underwhelmed when you finally reached it? The finish line is often not as satisfying as we think–here’s how to find joy in the process, instead of the outcome.
Why set outcomes?
Setting goals provides direction and purpose for our lives. Goals can also serve as a motivational tool, pushing us to take action towards a meaningful pursuit.
When I quit my job in 2021, my goal was to become a professional climber. Having this goal in mind helped me create a structure for my life. It gave me a sense of purpose and enriched my day-to-day with meaning.
But it’s important not to become solely focused on our goals, and forget to enjoy the moment. That’s what happened to me during the first year after I quit my job.
Losing yourself in the goal
It’s easy to become so set on achieving our goals that we don’t find joy in the process. I have a lot of personal experience with this as a climber.
When I first started climbing, I was hyper-focused on progress. Of course, I enjoyed climbing, but there would be weeks or months when there wasn’t any joy in my climbing. I was getting stronger, climbing harder grades; yet, I felt nothing.
Society glorifies outcomes
Our world places high value on achievement. Wherever we look, there are magazines, movies, and social media posts glorifying humanity’s latest achievements. Someone has just summited a new mountain, set a record during a race, or accepted an award for best chef in the country.
The countless stories of accomplishments inspire us for a moment, but then leave us feeling empty inside afterward. Why am I not doing those things? What was my latest achievement?
Perfection is profitable
Society doesn’t care that your mental health is suffering, and it will continue to put the high-achievers in the spotlight because it’s profitable. People want to consume success narratives. Nobody wants to hear about a swimmer who tried her best, but didn’t achieve her goal.
But for most people, that’s where we’re at—trying our best. The majority of us won’t become Olympic athletes or renowned chefs, and that’s ok. We don’t need to be to find joy in the process.
If we get caught up in the whirlwind of achievements, it can lead to stress, burnout, and ultimately a lack of fulfillment even after reaching our goals. So what can we do?
Shift your focus
Use the success stories to your advantage and allow them to inspire, to galvanize you into action. After that, shift your focus to the present. Define success for yourself instead of letting someone else define it for you. If you want a deep dive on that, I wrote a previous post on how to define success for yourself.
What’s important to you?
Ask yourself: what do I value? What’s important to you? Put yourself at the forefront and don’t let the outside world affect your answer. Finding joy in the process will come more naturally once you separate external influences from your decision-making.
Early in my climbing career, I placed heavy importance on achieving higher grades because that’s what I saw around me–gym climbers succeeding on difficult routes, videos of outdoor climbers making groundbreaking ascents.
But had I stopped to reflect on what was important to me, I would have realized that climbing higher grades and making progress actually wasn’t fulfilling to me.
Personal realization
In place of progress, I now understand that I love climbing because it connects my mind and body, and is a celebration of all the different ways we can express power and technique as a human being. Climbing to me is about mastering the movement, not chasing grades.
Realizing this sooner would have relieved me of the unnecessary pressure I placed on myself to succeed, and would have freed up mental space to savor the effort I was putting into my climbing.
Process-oriented goal
Instead of focusing on an achievement-oriented goal, consider setting a process-oriented goal. This is more conducive to finding joy in the process of whatever we’re doing. When we aren’t obsessed with hitting a benchmark, we can be in the present moment.
For me, changing my mindset from being goal-oriented to process-oriented made all the difference. It liberated me from the chains of progress; I didn’t need to feel bad about not always feeling my strongest, or failing to climb a route I thought I should have been able to.
Here are other process-oriented goals you can set for yourself:
Showing up
Sometimes just showing up is enough! We’ve all had those days when we’re tired after work, we have no motivation, and 3 hours of Netflix sounds like the best thing. On those days, celebrate a win by showing up and doing what you can.
Small wins
Capture joy in the smaller wins. For example, a painter could stop worrying about creating a perfect canvas and direct his efforts towards improving his shading technique.
A runner can stop thinking about qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and aim to work on her running stride instead.
Be creative and think about different ways you can celebrate small wins.
Entering the flow state
Being in the flow state, or “the zone”, is one of the easiest ways to find joy in the process, because we’re not thinking about anything else but the task at hand. You might enjoy this post if you want to learn more about how to enter the flow state.
There are an endless number of process goals, depending on your situation. Check out this article on Indeed about process goals if you’re interested in learning more.
Conclusion
We don’t live life only at the finish lines — we also live in the steps, struggles, and minor victories along the way. When we shift our focus from chasing outcomes to enjoying the process, we free ourselves from the pressures of achievement.
Whether it’s showing up on a hard day, celebrating small wins, or losing yourself in the flow state, joy is waiting for you in the process.
Let me know in the comments if you found this post helpful, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
