This morning I was running some errands, because I have things to take care of and they’re never finished. In the span of a couple short minutes, I spotted two differen guys wearing what I can only call ‘semi-inspirational’ black t-shirts.
The first appeared to be a moisture-wicking athletic tee reading, “Never Easy”. The Puma logo underneath clearly signposted that the wearer wasn’t advocating existential dread or the general crushing ennui of our everyday existence.
The second guy, who I encountered a few minutes later as he was crossing the street, had a different shirt on. Normal cotton. His black shirt read “Love the process not the result.”
Different dudes, different shirts, but complementary messages. I loved how the universe set that up for me. A special part of my process, even though it’s never easy.
They’re complementary because we’re all keyed and oriented to chase outcomes: the promotions, the abs, the status markers. But, shirt #2 makes an important point: it’s the process that matters; that’s what gets us the results. It doesn’t work the other way around: a results fixation won’t bring you the process you need to get there.
And, as guy #1 knows: it’s not going to be easy. It’s never easy.
Also, maybe there’s a lesson in here as well about slowing down, taking a breath, and reading the t-shirts of strangers. Because you never know what wisdom might await you there.
