To achieve anything worthwhile, focus less on the outcome and more on the process—especially if your goals are ambitious.

Why?

Because progress is rarely linear. Setbacks are inevitable. If you fixate on results — numbers, stats, or data — you risk frustration, self-doubt, and burnout. You might even wonder if the effort is worth it.

I’m currently pursuing health and fitness goals. Things were going well, but the past two weeks have been rough—mentally and physically.

Two injuries have slowed me down. One knee issue, in particular, is lingering longer than expected. Also my vascular age, a key metric I track, and which was slowly getting better — has now taken a turn in the wrong direction.

Then, a small slip-up with socca chips and peanuts caused my reported fat percentage to spike by 5% overnight. After nearly two months of discipline, it felt like a gut punch. These aren’t even that bad. Suddenly, I found myself questioning everything.

The Real Goal

So, how do we push through these moments?

I knew setbacks were part of the deal. Motivation would waver. Injuries would happen. Progress wouldn’t always be linear.

That’s when I remind myself: the real goal isn’t just hitting targets. Yes, keep them in mind, but don’t obsess over them. If we do this, every setback would feel like failure.

The real goal is building sustainable habits.

Trust the process. Even if you slip, return to those habits. The results will follow.

Trust the Process

If you’re into golf, you might have watched Full Swing on Netflix. It follows pro golfers on tour, including Wyndham Clark, who experienced both career highs and slumps. In one clip, he explains that his best golf happens when he trusts the process. When he got too emotionally attached to outcomes, his performance dipped.

This applies to anything. Success comes from consistent action, not from micromanaging every result.

Final Thought

Achieving anything worthwhile is tough. Setbacks will come. When they do, don’t give up. Don’t let frustration cloud your vision.

Instead, shift your focus:

• Build good habits.
• Trust the process.
• Let results be a by-product of consistency.

 
Results don’t come from obsessing over numbers. They come from showing up, again and again.

And when you do that, success becomes inevitable.