“Never try, either do it or don’t waste your time.” – Phil Anselmo
I’ve haven’t talked too much about failure and trying until you succeed before, but it’s an important topic. Look at any successful person and they’ve probably failed more than they’ve succeeded.
One of the keys to that success is consistently going after it again after failing. Successful people have learned to enjoy the process of doing.
If we don’t enjoy the process of doing something the end result won’t make it worth it. And the end result we’re expecting may never actually materialize.
Total Honesty
Before starting your quest for Ridiculously Extraordinary Success you have to be completely honest with yourself. Assuming you will succeed in whatever it is you’re striving towards, is the end result really what you’re looking for?
In Other Words, Is It All Worth It?
Sometimes we get on a path towards something and then realize it’s not really what we want. That may be hours, weeks, months, or even years into the process.
There is no sense in forcing yourself to get what you don’t want. In situations like that, it’s perfectly OK to quit.
A simple example, based on a conversation I had with someone who said they always finish every book they start: if I start reading a book and I’m not enjoying it within ~50 pages I put it down and never pick it back up. There are too many good books to read to waste my time on books I don’t enjoy.
Another example: one of my favorite comedians is Demetri Martin. In one of his comedy bits he tells the story of being in law school and then quitting to become a comic. In doing so, he gave up a future higher than average salary for an almost guaranteed life of relative poverty in an instant.
Now as a successful comic he probably makes more than he’d ever make in law. More importantly, Demetri quit something he didn’t enjoy to do something he did enjoy, no matter the outcome.
He quit something he had been working towards for many years because he realized the end result wasn’t what he wanted.
Don’t think it’s ever too late to quit something that isn’t completely you.
How To Enjoy The Process
Assuming you care about the end result, how exactly do you enjoy the process?
After all, the process may be dull. The process may be frustrating. The process may sometimes even be boring.
If you’re on the right path, you don’t need help enjoying the process.
Because if you’re on the right path, you absolutely love the process, don’t you?