Focus on the Work

I. The object of our desire

A lot of stress can be relieved by asking yourself the right questions.

In a recent tweet I asked:

What is the root of your desire?

Some say they want to be an entrepreneur when really what they want is to be rich. Or that they want to be an actor when really what they want is to be famous.

Do you want the work, or the outcome?

There’s a lot of pressure placed on us to succeed. Both internally and externally. We have people telling us what they expect of us, society implying who has more value than who, and we tell ourselves constantly what it is we hope to achieve.

But what is it you hope to achieve?

When we ask ourselves this question we may find our focus is placed on the outcome. We want financial independence, we want a promotion, we want others to understand and appreciate our art.

We dream not about doing the work, but what having done the work will grant us.

We claim to be passionate, but that passion is placed in our future, not in our present.

And, most importantly, it’s placed on things outside of our control.

Think about what you hope to achieve. How many of your answers were not entirely in your control? Winning awards, getting published, being offered a raise.

All of the examples I’ve given so far require outside influence to go your way.

It’s no wonder we feel stressed, so much of what we desire hinges on either chance, or the opinions of other people.

II. Control

A core concept in Stoicism is distinguishing between what is in our control and what is not in our control.

You might recognize this concept from the famous Serenity Prayer originally composed by Reinhold Niebuhr:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

- Reinhold Niebuh

Looking back at those examples, did we have the wisdom to know the difference?

Let’s settle our minds by focusing on the work. By focusing on the aspect of our desires that we can control.

How many of us say that we crave financial independence, but have never looked into our finances, have never drawn up and followed a budget and savings plan?

How many claim they want and deserve a promotion, while at the same time shirking the very step-up opportunities that would get us there with the excuse that “we’re too busy with our other tasks?”

How many want others to appreciate our art while we struggle to put in the hours required to make art worth appreciating?

Switch to a mindset of control. Focus on what is in your ability to change. Focus on the work and the outcome will follow.

III. Journey

Focusing on the person we’ll be, the life we’ll live, once the journey concludes can be motivating. But the truth is, the journey never concludes. Which makes it clear that if we’re not enjoying the journey, there will be nothing to look forward to.

Focusing on outcome may feel good, but it often does not inspire action. Movement will occur only when you focus on the steps.

If you’re feeling anxiety over success train your focus on action that is in your control. Create a plan of action and watch the anxiety begin to settle.

2021-05-01