Why is focusing on the process and not the price so important?
My take on it is a simple one. Mastering your craft is what’s important. Because without completely dominating your calling, there is no prize to be had, no benefit. But within that process, you are becoming a better person - the person you need to be if you want to call yourself a master.
It takes strength and faith. And that is something that isn’t talked about much these days, but in my life, it’s crucial. Because confidence in what you’re creating requires faith, and bringing it into existence involves effort. Those small, consistent steps can be agonizing. Developing roots so the shoots can be strong takes time and is not for the faint of heart, but contrary to what is being said in today’s world, I think it’s essential.
Back in the islands, the older generations will tell you about trees that grow tall and live long, grow slowly. Check it out it’s true, especially at first. The shoots may be underground for a long time, and a vulnerable sapling for longer still, but like any good idea or habit, they’re hard to dislodge once the roots are set. I remember we had an old Logwood tree in our backyard, and it took my old man weeks to chop down. Dad tried to dig up the roots
afterward, and months later, he had to admit defeat.
The roots were set.
The undeniable truth is that little things done repeatedly lead to significant changes in our lives.
So you think talent is all you need?
I’ve seen incredibly talented people amount to a fraction of what they’re capable of solely because they are inconsistent with what they do. How can anyone take them seriously?
As an author, I know books well. I also remember growing up as a reader and listener and viewing songwriters and authors as magicians, because how else could an individual capture my imagination and emotions the way they did without being extraordinary people.
Creating anything of consequence or magnitude requires deliberate, incremental, and consistent work. In the beginning, these efforts might not look like they are amounting to much. But with time, they accumulate and then compound on each other. Whether it’s an anthill or a stalagmite or a book or a business, from humble beginnings come impressive outcomes.
I’m not the first, and I certainly will not be the last to understand and use the incredible power of small, consistent steps in the right direction. I love this principle, not because of the great classical stoics swore by it but the fact that it’s under my control.
It may not be sexy in today’s world, and it’s definitely deceptive in its effects, but I don’t need anyone’s permission to take my small, consistent steps with this idea. It’s doable and dependable. What better combination is there.
