Life’s Curveballs

I’ve been reading Scott Young’s blog, “Get more from life,” trying to find where my own life is headed and searching for some answers. Out of a few hundred post on his site, two have really struck a cord with me, the first is titled, How to Not Want Things and Still Be Happy; this is by far the one thing that has tripped me up the most. I must say that if we could all do this it would be a much better world.

Not Wanting But Still Being Happy

From a child, I have always wanted more than I could have and was always searching. In the blink of an eye I would desire something and put all my energy into getting it, and then as soon as I achieved it, I was off and running to for something else. In early life, patience was definitely not a virtue with me but some hard knocks have caused me to take pause, but I still want things I can’t have.

Scott suggests that our focus should be on the process and not the desire or goal, what he calls, “process focus.”

A process focus treats any pursuit as you would a game. In a game, the act of playing is the real motivation, not the win. After a heated chess match, you are generally no better off now that you’ve won. The only reason to play was the process of playing.

When you approach an area of life from a process focus, you see the entire path, not the goal as the reason to start. Run a business because you love running a business, not just because of the status, wealth or service it might bring. Interest in the process is more important than the result of a goal.

I hear Scott’s message loud and clear, but he is much more disciplined than I am. I know this from reading about him on his blog. He says that he has “…built in habits of excellence. Waking up early every day, abstaining from television, exercising regularly and even adopting a vegetarian diet to improve my energy.” From these statements I know he is the complete opposite from me, for I like to sleep late any chance I get, I watch television almost every night, I very rarely exercise, and I am a meat and three kind of guy. Additionally, I like to win and that’s one reason I don’t play many games, for if I don’t win I get very upset. To me there is no point in playing if you have no chance of winning. I must say that I do applaud his discipline but to me it looks more like getting less from life. Well, to each his own.

The “process focus” approach would probably work on more disciplined individuals, and now that I am more aware of another way to approach my desires I will try to be more process focused.

Effortless Achiever

The second article by Scott is titled, How to Become an Effortless Achiever, which is a continuation of his first article. He explains that shifting our focus will take work and time, which is probably an understatement. He goes on to say…

I used to rely heavily on my cravings to guide me. Many of them were long-term and get applauded in our society as being ambitious or forward-thinking. But however you describe them they are pain.

Even after all I have been through, I still let cravings guide me. I haven’t learned to recognize my own cravings as “craving focuses instead of process focuses….” Scott explains the steps that can help you shift your focus and you should see his website for further guidance, for he does make some excellent points and God knows they might even help me.

By the way, Scott is an atheist so to him God doesn’t figure into any of his advice, but that is a story for another time.

Thanks for your insight, Scott and I will continue reading your blog and hope that some of your energy and outlook rubs off.