Sorry I didn’t respond for so long. I consider myself out of blog business at this point.

Thanks for sharing your story. Seems like you are aware of the whole balancing act — and where the right balance is for you! Obviously, the best place is where the results and the process are both rewarding. I just wanted to point out, however, that the process is where we spend most of the time, so don’t ignore that piece just because you have your eyes on the results.

Best wishes!

ari

I enjoyed reading these essays very much. Thank you. I have to say when I stumbled across the first one, I was almost in complete disagreement. It seemed so ‘black and white’. After reading through all the essays however, I have to say I agree with you.

I was living a very result-oriented life over the past 2 years because there were things that I just needed to get done. As simple as that. For example, to get my Master’s degree I needed to do 7 papers. Thankfully I enjoyed 4 out of the 7, but for the other 3 I just ploughed through and got them done. I can barely remember what I wrote now. What I do remember is setting myself a goal and a time-line, blinders on, and making sure they got finished on schedule with a decent grade.

For my more ‘process-oriented’ friends, they completed the degree in double the time I did it, enjoying lively debates, etc. Granted, they got a lot more out of it than I did, but after they saw that I had completed it, and moved on to a much better job, I began to sense some frustration seeping in. As you said above, “Be careful about setting unattainable goals simply because you like the process of pursuing it. It can lower your motivation and ambition.” A swift kick in the a$$ from me and they’re now done and in a better job. Now we are all enjoying the fruits of our labour and enjoying life a bit more.

Keep up the great blogging!