How Successful People Follow Successful Processes
18 November 2022
Successful People Follow Successful Processes
Insights from 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear
Nobody sets out to lose, do they?
We all start with the same lofty ambitions and grand plans of how we’re going to be successful in what we set out to do.
But not everybody gets there, although winners and losers have the same goals.
So, what sets winners apart?
What do they have that others don’t?
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The short answer: a system that works.
Successful people follow successful processes.
They focus on improving the systems that lead to their goals.
Take care of the systems and the goals will take care of themselves.
Setting goals is important. Of course.
Goals help us decide the direction in which to focus our efforts and energies.
But if the goal is all you’re seeing, you are missing the larger picture.
A picture where you get better every day at what you are doing, where you enjoy the process of improving as much as reaching your target.
Think of a professional tennis player.
Their goal, most likely, would be to win a Grand Slam.
But they can’t play and practice with one eye on the scoreboard.
All their attention has to be on the sport, on getting better and better.
They need to improve their systems every day, in every way.
The Grand Slam win, then, is almost a by-product of their main task -- to improve their systems and processes.
Here’s another truth about goals.
Achieving what you’re aiming for will never satisfy you fully.
Humans aren’t wired to be truly content.
But there is always joy and satisfaction in getting better every day at whatever we’re doing.
Seeing even small improvements as a result of repeated practice motivates us to keep on going.
Like Clear says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
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