How to enjoy a lengthy process?
Enjoying one step at a time!
The only way to enjoy a long process is to enjoy each step.
There are 2 factors that help you enjoy each step:
- An inspiring process or meaningful purpose
- You enjoy something in the very step you are taking. It doesn’t matter what something is, as long as it’s a part of the “step”.
I give you an example:
When I was living in a Zen center, the residents had to wake up early for morning practice. We started with 108 bows (frustrations). In the beginning, I had to deal with many problems when bowing: pain in the knees, shortness of breath, and tiredness in the whole body. I barely survived after 50 bows. But one day, I discovered that if I enjoyed a long in-breath every time I stood up, I felt better and better in the next bows. To my surprise, at some last bows, I felt as if I could fly: the body is much lighter and full of energy! It was awakened up! That is the miracle of enjoying “something” in each step.
I have tried this “enjoying something in each step” and had the same result:
When running a long distance, I enjoyed each breath in as receiving a reward. I recognized that the body needs a reward for every effort. So I enjoyed each in-breath as if I received a reward. And it was! The body was tired and fresh air came in vitalizing it.
When writing a book, I enjoyed writing each sentence at a time or creating one structure for a point or a chapter.
When eating a healthy but not tasty meal: I enjoyed each small bite.
When taking a lengthy test: I feel satisfied with each small “aha” when discovering a hidden clue or a smart way the test makers used to hide an answer. These “small things” gave me the joy of playing a game when taking a test.
Enjoying each step makes you focus on the process naturally. You can’t manage the whole process at this moment, but you can easily manage one step. And you only need to handle one step at the next moment. This is the key to dropping the mental burden by thinking “I have to travel a long road.” Being out of that burden, you’re relaxed and open. You’re now supported by the energy of the present (some people call it “cosmic energy”). You will see the journey becomes more and more pleasant after each step.
On the contrary, if you don’t enjoy each step, you will have to endure it. And you will have to endure the entire process as well. The resistance becomes stronger overtime. The journey becomes heavier after each step. This makes you tired. An unpleasant experience. You just want to end the journey soon.
So, you can see the result of the whole process in advance when taking this step. Enjoy each step is the way to enjoy the whole journey and to maximize the result.