No Pain, No Gain

I have always found processes fascinating and with my passion for Continuous Improvement, it’s no wonder I built a successful career in Business and Process Improvement.

Even the best processes are nothing but a bunch of ‘dos and don’ts until they are followed to produce the desired results.

Getting people to follow processes is always challenging and unless process adherence is monitored, people stray from the standard process.

Why does this happen? Why do we skip steps in the process or make up our own steps? Why do we take shortcuts or want results without due process?

I think it’s because processes can be painful, long-winded, and we think a little deviation will not make much of a difference.

My gym instructor, Debbie, always says to the class, ‘your six-pack is there, it’s covered up and just needs to be exposed.’

She repeated this enough times for us to start to believe her and feel our stomachs to see if there was a hidden six-pack. I’m still feeling for mine.

The only thing standing between a hidden and an exposed six-pack is that pesky thing called, ‘Process’.

There are processes for eating right, managing stress, sleeping well and exercising correctly. Debbie assures us that if we diligently follow the processes, we will see our desired results.

So what have I learnt?

Don’t stop chipping away

Your potentials results are currently disguised by things that need to be chipped away.

Ice sculptors know what they want to see from a block of ice and they chip the unwanted ice away until they are left with the picture they had in mind.

In the same way, there are things we need to chip away from our lives to get the results we want. It could be wrong attitudes, limiting self beliefs or fear. Sometimes it can be the stress and anxiety that paralyses us and stops us from moving forward.

Start chipping away and don’t stop until you see the results you want.

Embrace the pain

There’s pain in the process – business processes, getting fitter, building a business, or achieving your goals. There’s the pain of self-denial, delayed gratification, prioritisation, time, energy and post-exercise physical pain.

The right results come after the process. You can’t skip the pain and expect the results. You can’t postpone the pain unless you’re willing to postpone the results. You can’t outsource the pain and reap the benefits.

How insane would it be if another person does the planks and sit-ups and I get the results?

It’s foolish to expect that but how many times do we wish for results that others have when we are unwilling to put in the work they did?

Every upgrade is preceded by pain. Pain of child birth and the pain of the caterpillar are necessary for the joy and beauty that’s ahead.

Continuous pain precedes continuous improvement. To continue from one level to another higher level requires us to be lovers of the process. Embracing the pain of the process, for continuous success, is a necessity

Don’t quit before the results

Results are not always immediately evident but that’s no reason to quit. No one loses weight on day one of a fitness regime and a person going through chemo does not know the point at which it starts to work.

You simply trust the process, follow the regime you’re given and wait for the right outcomes to follow.

Just because you don’t feel or look different there’s no reason to give in to the temptation that turns a bad moment to a bad day, bad month and ultimately to giving up.

Remember that even when the results are not evident, we must choose to trust and follow the process.

As you start a new week, ask yourself three simple questions:

What is in the way of my results that I need to chip away? What pain do I need to embrace to get the results I want? What am I at a risk of quitting just because I’m yet to see the results?

Make a commitment to trust in the processes of your upgrade in all areas of your life.

Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing my post. See you next week.