Process versus Result…

I can’t help but think that result oriented people are generally struggling to be happy and they project that unhappiness on others, as they demand closure with the most favorable end result. For failure is the worse scenario. Deadlines are to be met. Margins must be maintained. The contract must be won at all costs. After weeks of struggle and agony, pressures put on not just ourselves, because our friends and family also suffer, we are given a reward, a banana, a dangled gold chain, or an attaboy. We then say it was all well worth it. We elevate these people and want to emulate them because the rewards of success are great and the end result becomes an absolute.

To an accomplished artist, at least the ones I know, the peace they carry with them is the release of emotion and ideal they project during the process. The end result is the final closure of that process completely open to the interpretation of the eyes of the beholder. It is a ritualistic ending. They have gotten their message across because their craft is perfect because they did their best. It’s like the old saying… “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”

We forget that the most amount of time spent achieving a result is in the process. If we dismiss the process as a necessary evil, we dismiss a great amount of time we spend on earth. This seems like a great waste to me. Life is way too short.

The next time we applaud an accomplishment; we should judge the end result on whether the process toward the goal was a joy or a sacrifice and struggle for all involved. Did we do our best or just spin a favorable reaction? Then we can judge if there was a true benefit.