Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of having clear, specific goals to enhance the effectiveness of the process and habits one follows to achieve them.

Abstract

The article discusses the common pitfall of focusing too much on the process of achieving a goal rather than the goal itself. It illustrates this point with the example of Normani, a musician who, despite her hard work in a girl group, did not achieve anticipated success as a solo artist, possibly due to a lack of clear goals. The author argues that without a specific, loved goal, the process can become aimless and unmotivated. The article suggests that by setting precise objectives, such as making a prestigious ensemble or reaching a certain number of followers, one can direct their efforts more effectively and ensure that their daily habits contribute to reaching their desired outcome.

Opinions

The author believes that the goal is as important, if not more important, than the process because it gives direction and purpose to one's efforts.
It is suggested that oversimplifying goals can lead to a lack of progress and a misguided focus on the process without a clear target.
The article posits that consistency in working towards a goal is crucial, but it should not overshadow the goal itself.
The author criticizes the advice given to writers to forget the goal and focus solely on the process, stating that this can result in a lack of real progress.
The author's perspective is that loving the goal is fundamental to maintaining a productive and satisfying process.
A specific goal, such as creating a 6-figure ghostwriting business and reaching 10,000 Twitter followers, is presented as an example of a clear and motivating target that can guide one's daily habits.

This Simple Mental Exercise Can Help You Reach Your Goals Quicker

You’re too focused on the process.

“You can’t love the process until you love the goal.”

— Random Twitter user

I read this a few days ago as I scrolled past some motivational tweets for people who are struggling at maintaining consistency with their craft.

Everyone’s always so focused on one thing — the habits

Meanwhile, we forget the most important thing — the goal.

I have a few musical artists that inspire me. One of them, named Normani, really inspired me with her work ethic.

She seemed incredibly serious about her music…four years ago. She used to be in a girl group called Fifth Harmony and you’d see them sing all over the internet.

They worked their asses off to become a successful girl group. Ever since they went their separate ways in 2018, I’ve been rooting for Normani to become a superstar.

To me, she was the most talented person in the group.

But instead of becoming the megastar I hoped, with her seemingly amazing work ethic in the girl group, she fell off. Hard.

Now she releases one song every 8 months on average.

She’s so inconsistent that she’s made me wonder…does she even love to sing anymore?

Does she want to become the star many people thought she would be?

Here’s the thing.

The goal is just as important, if not more important than the process.

Why?

Because the process is time-consuming. Who wants to spend ten hours per day working to become a top-tier filmmaker and not know how they want to use their skills?

Your goals must be more specific.

For example, you could have a general goal:

“I want to become a better saxophone player.”

That’s a great goal for your process, but not for what you ultimately want to accomplish. Let’s specify it a little more:

“I want to audition and make this prestigious wind ensemble.”

Now we’re getting somewhere.

To accomplish that goal, you practice the audition music like a madman and kill the audition — that’s it.

Sometimes we make our goals too complicated by oversimplifying what they’re supposed to be.

It’s easy to forget your writing goal.

You see, most writers always have the goal, but not the consistency part of being a writer. Consistency is BEYOND important when you start so it’s easy to ignore your specific goal.

Heck, the older writers advise newer writers to forget the goal and focus on the process.

But if you forget the goal, your process will turn into a lack of progress all of the time.

You can get 1% better every day, but are you really 1% better if you’re further away from your goal?

Instead of my old goal:

“Become a better writer.”

I’m making it more specific:

“Create a 6-figure ghostwriting business and reach 10,000 Twitter followers.”

My goals are clear enough to the point where I know what I should focus on.

You should try this too.

Final Thought

You can’t love the process unless you love the goal.

The goal should be just as important, if not more important, than the process. It gives your daily habit a trajectory to follow. You can’t get better unless you’re basing it off reaching your goal.

Make sure you love the goal.

If you don’t love that, your process will reflect it.

So what are you waiting for?

Specify your goals now.

Get my free writing guide that can teach you how to build a writing habit in 90 days or less here.