Any long term endeavor in life has the same inherent reflection point that you’ll sooner or later come to realize.
In the beginning you have excitement that propels you into your new endeavor. You’re eager to start and raring to go.
Then, the initial excitement wears off and you go through a kind of grind period.
Each day, you follow the path you’ve set out on. Your motivation starts to wane as you realize the whole thing is harder and/or takes longer than you anticipated.
But you persist.
You did, after all, commit to the effort.
You do want the end results.
You must carry on.
So each day, you go through the iterations that will ultimately (hopefully) bring forth the results you seek.
Soon enough, you come to a point when you realize what you thought was the process, is actually much different than what the process actually is.
More so, the person you are and have become during the process, is much different than what you first thought as well.
Keep after a worthy ideal long enough and you will come to reflection points where you start to question the process you’re following.
“Is this really worth all this effort?”
“What if I just quit and try something different?”
“I can always go back to what I was doing…and save all of this time, energy, and effort I’m putting into this thing.”
“This is too hard…is taking too long…requires too much me…etc.”
“Maybe I should just be content with the way it was before. I mean, look at everyone else. No one else is doing XYZ, they’re all living their life, (seemingly) enjoying life.”
“Am I wasting my time?”
“I should just settle for a simple life and be content.”
And other questions that ultimately leave you with the understanding that, even as far as you’ve come, you still have MUCH further to go before you even get close to the end result you’re after.
Samuel Fussel, author of “Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder” (1991), came to just such a realization.
Fussell transformed his entire life (and his body) in pursuit of one goal.
To become a bodybuilder.
And he succeeded. But to get to the next level and become a professional bodybuilder he would have to commit to another several years following the same lifestyle.
I first read this book in high school. Somehow my high school library had a copy of this right after it was published.
This was my introduction to the concept I’m writing about.
As an exercise enthusiast myself, I have, through the years, come to the same realization as Fussell. Though my goal was never to become a professional bodybuilder, I have set other physique goals.
In the professional arena, it’s the same.
I entered sales as an “unlikely” salesman. Over a period of years, I became one of the best at what I was doing. Though, there were several times when I questioned the whole effort. (It’s worth mentioning that I actively sought to become one of the best – through self-study and practice. I never settled to be mediocre.)
Now, in a different professional pursuit, I question the process.
My “secret weapon” or “guiding light”, is that I KNOW I will reach my goal.
I am now realizing that through the process, I am becoming a different person than I thought I would become (that’s the old “you don’t know what you don’t know”).
And that the journey, this journey, will take longer than I anticipated at the onset. But I can see the process and know that it is necessary.
I also know that in the end, it will be well worth all of the time, energy, effort, and sacrifices.
Just like when I went into professional sales. I knew there was a process and that it would require much to accomplish becoming one of the best. But, it was an effort I was willing to undergo to accomplish the goal.
And I did.
Now, even though I have reflection points on my current journey, in the end it will be worth it.