Embrace the process: Step by step

Are you impatient and would like to see a result right away? This is your reminder to embrace the process: Step by step.

A few months ago, I read the following quote: “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.” I prefer this adaption: There is no elevator to reach your goal, you have to take the stairs. The question is: How to be patient? How to relax and enjoy the steps, when the goal is still far away?

Over the last month, I’ve been working on new ideas for my business. I’m very visual so I’ve been seeing my improvements and what they would look like immediately in my head and I’ve been following little steps and advice but I’m not where I thought I would be at this point. There have been steps that I didn’t see or plan before. Some things went smooth, others just seem to take long … I got impatient as it felt there are still so many steps to take. I caught myself thinking: I just want it now, I want the details figured out, I want it to work. I took time to reflect and I realized I’m not where I thought I would be, because I’ve discovered many other, very valuable things on the way. And this reminded me of my yoga practice …

When I started practicing yoga, I wasn’t able to do at least 70% of the positions that were shown in class. I saw the advanced practitioners and felt very far “behind”. Today I know: Yoga is not about getting to a certain fitness level, but of course my body has developed over time. Whatever we practice regularly and consistently, we will get better at. Today, I enjoy the feeling of everything I’ve learnt so far while knowing there are still sooo many new things to discover through my practice. This is my personal reminder (also for any other goals) that I can do it: I can embrace the process.
My recommendation for you is to find your personal reminder: Which activities do you truly love, where you don’t worry so much about the outcome but you are just enjoying that you are learning new things? You can use this experience for the next personal or professional goal you set for yourself. It might not be the same as a professional project, a health goal or when we go through a difficult time, as example, but they all have the similarity that it’s a process that takes time.
Here are my main take-aways:

1. Define your goal wisely: Set a SMART (specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, time-bound) goal that challenges you but is also realistic. For me, this starts by knowing my personal “why” (am I choosing this goal?).
2. Organisation is key: Make sure you break down your big goal and have an overview of your steps towards it, especially in a longer process. In my case, it helps me to have a list with my weekly goal and my high and low priority tasks to reach it. Of course, this sometimes changes (see nr. 4).
3. Celebrate wins: When you reach a daily or weekly or monthly goal – a new milestone – celebrate it. It’s really important to stop a moment and give ourself credit – in my case, this motivates me for the next milestone.
4. Accept and embrace setbacks: Expect them to arise. Plan a bit more time for when these moments come, where you want to give up. These are the moments where I usually take time for self-care to see the setback as an opportunity to learn (mainly about myself). Having time to reflect is key.
5. Practice self-care: Movement and growth means balance. Take enough breaks and charge your personal battery regularly: https://littlehealthyhabits.com/take-care-of-your-personal-battery/
6. Find a community that supports you: Share your progress with your loved ones and like-minded people (who might be in a similar process), the great days and the not so great days. In my current case, I exchange ideas with my “start-up community” and I have a mentor. Whatever your process and goal is: Professional guidance can make a huge difference.
7. Focus on the present: Some visions might be in a very far future so it’s important to focus on the now, while moving towards them. Acknowledge and be grateful for what you already have in your life, for your journey so far. Yoga and mindfulness are the practices that most help me with that.

Reaching a goal takes time and doesn’t happen from one day to the next, sometimes the goal even evolves through the process. The best achievements are a journey we look back at and are proud of. A stair that we walked by ourselves, setting one foot after the other. Let’s embrace every step.