Second Cup: Focus on process, not outcome

Set goals where you are in charge of success

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is that when you are making goals, focus
on the process and not on the outcome. The process
is usually far more in your control, so focusing on

(00:32):
that can make goals in general feel more doable. So
I have talked with a lot of people about their
goals over the years, and I find that many of
them are about a desired outcome, like lose fifteen pounds
and fit in your old genes, or get an amazing

(00:55):
new job, meet someone special, see your net worth cross
a million dollars. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with
wanting any.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Of these things. The trouble is that some aspects of
these goals are not going to be entirely within your control.
The market might tank just as your brokerage account gets
close to seven figures. Unless you plan to work for yourself,
you need the organization where you want to work to

(01:28):
agree to hire you, and your dream company might be
in the middle of a hiring freeze. Many of us
have had the experience of working hard to lose weight
and then needing to take medication for something that then
puts back on the pounds that you work to lose.
All of this can be frustrating if we are not careful.

(01:51):
These setbacks can make us question our agency over our lives.
But when we focus on process, not outcome, all of
this changes. I may or may not lose fifteen pounds,
but I can focus on eating more vegetables and fewer

(02:12):
empty calories. I can exercise regularly and get enough sleep.
I can drink more water and less of anything else.
All of those things might nudge the scale or they
might not, depending on what else is going on, but
they will make me healthier, and they are within my control. Likewise,

(02:39):
you can vastly increase the chances of landing your dream
job by sending three notes to people in your network
daily talking about what you are looking for that is
within your control. The market can go up and down.
You probably need to be invested in the market to
build any sort of substantial wealth, but you can create

(03:03):
a budget that allows for emergencies and also allows you
to save twenty percent of your income. You can then
faithfully follow that budget and also invest in index funds,
making small orders every month or so. You may or
may not meet mister or missus right immediately. But you

(03:26):
can set up online dating profiles and arrange to go
on one first date per week or so until someone clicks.
You can ask everyone you know to set you up
with people, and you can put the positive mental energy
into this process that it often demands that is within

(03:48):
your control. I have found that focusing on process helps
me stick with my goals. Broadly, I would like to
be a well read person. So as part of that goal,
each year I choose a year long reading project. This year,
I'm reading all the works of Jane Austen at a

(04:10):
rate of ten pages per day. That's not much I
can control whether or not I read ten pages, and
so I do it. How could you focus on process?
Whatever your desires happen to be, Think if there is
something you could commit to doing regularly that would help

(04:33):
you move in that direction. Choose doable actions that won't
be too hard to do. You just might achieve big
things over time, but you will feel more in control
and feel more agency over your life, and that may

(04:54):
be the most powerful goal achieving strategy of all. In
the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time.

Speaker 3 (05:15):
Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can
send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just
connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before
Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then Breakfast pod.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

(05:39):
out with all the letters.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
Thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts
from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows. Gang Gangga, MHM,