The Process Is the Result

There seems to be the implied assumption that an ideal result; i.e., whatever end you wish to achieve, is somehow separate from the process you move through in your pursuit of it.

In reality, the process is the result.

The steps you take in order to achieve an end, shape that end.

For example, say I, hypothetically, want to write an article titled “The Process Is the Result”. I know, it’s a radical idea, but let’s go with it.

If I want the end result, the finished article, to be clean and minimal, then my process has to reflect that: I have to write and edit the article in a clean, minimal manner. But if wanting that same end result, my writing is over-elaborated and my editing nonexistent, then my result, no matter how hard I try to hide it, will not feel clean and minimal.

Apply this same principle to anything you’re moving toward in your life:

• If your ideal result is to have a lean, relaxed, athletic body, then forcing your muscles at the gym with bodybuilder weight-lifting routines will probably not get you there.
• If your ideal result is to write the best novel you can write, then spending most of your reading and writing time on BuzzFeed and Twitter will probably not get you there.

The examples could go on and on.

To be clear, none of the ideal results above, or in your life, are right or wrong.

Coherence is not determined by what your ideal result is, but by whether your process is in harmony with that result.

Perhaps you do want to have Schwarzenegger’s body, in which case, keep lifting, and then run for Governor. Perhaps you do want to make your living as a short-form blogger, in which case BuzzFeed and Twitter are great tools.

It all depends on what you want. You choose. As long as the process and the result are in harmony, it works.

For anything you want, ask yourself: Is my process in harmony with my ideal result? If it is, great. If it isn’t, adjust either your process or your ideal result.

Because if the process isn’t in harmony with the ideal result, then the actual result will be in harmony with the process.