The journey and the destination.

The process and the outcome.

The practice and the skill.

We’ve all heard how we should always try to focus on the former.

From my years of practicing meditation and testing all kinds of workouts and routines, I have to say – it’s not easy.

It never gets easy.

Ask any top performer and they will say they still hate dragging themselves out of bed to get into their freaking cold plunge.

But there’s something they all have in common.

It’s their willingness to detach from that destination, that outcome or that particular skill.

And to focus on the process.

I recently heard comic book creator and producer Todd McFarlane (Spawn, The Amazing Spiderman, Venom…) on a podcast saying how he outlasts competitors in business meetings.

In one instance he sat at the conference table for 17 hours straight, from 7am to midnight, without bath or food breaks.

His words:

“Now, because I have a camel bladder, two things have happened in my career that I think have been advantageous… I eat because science says I need to. My body needs fuel. So I put it in, not because I’m hungry, because I have to, it’s an essential ingredient. Food. I do it, but I can outlast you if you’ve got to go away.”

and

“I’ll just figure out how to not do this thing that most humans do.”

Why’s that important? Thinking this way is his way of not allowing other people to get in line, to take his hard earned spot.

It’s a competitive advantage.

Side note: I love learning from people like Todd. These uber successful borderline “psychopaths” (too strong I know) who act the opposite of what most people do. These are the nuances that makes humans amazing.

Anyway, as we get close to the holidays, I think this is a pretty good reminder for safeguarding at least some of our focus, and to not throw things out of the window.

This is true when it comes to researching your customers, churning out special offers, brainstorming how to optimize your funnels, planning for the new year, etc.

This is the perfect time (it was actually way earlier, but hey, we’re busy).

Just stick with the process if you want to see results.

But remember, that will require you to detach, too.

And that’s the hardest part.

Will you have a camel bladder? Or will you let someone else get in the line?

P.S.

Outlasting your competitors and carving out your space in the market ultimately comes down to doing the hard work upfront. Like we did with my client who just wrote in this morning:

I LOVE getting these.

Want to be next? Or learn how you can do it for your own clients? Get in touch.

Quote and reflection of the day:

“You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire.”

-Seneca

To get the right perspective on life we have to act against our impulses sometimes. A lot of what worked millennia ago, doesn’t work as well today, when constant change and adaptation is required. That’s why learning to detach from desires and fears can be so powerful and liberating. In both, the detachment comes with forgetting about the outcome and focusing on the process.