This has and will remain the case for all time. Seldom, if ever, does magic strike and bestow upon the lucky the victory they seek minus the work required.

But that’s exactly what everyone wants, results without perspiration. No one naturally longs for the pain staking and difficult work that accompanies achievement.

We want things to come easy. We dream of things falling into our laps. We want our latent talent to carry us through.

Instead everything waits on the other side of hard work.

That’s where the process comes in.

Made famous by legendary coach Nick Saban, the process means focusing on only what is within your control. It means focusing on those things to the exclusion of all else.

In the end, that’s really all you can do.

It does little good to whine or complain about things, especially when they lay outside your ability to change them.

Doing so only inhibits your performance. In no scenario will focusing on negative and uncontrollable things help you improve.

The only thing that will help you perform your best and achieve your goals is the process. The unrelenting commitment to taking one step at a time, and maintaining laser like focus upon all things within your control.

Lest you feel that too tall a task, remember that the number of things over which you maintain control is small. That short list consists of things like what you eat, how much you sleep, how hard you work, and most importantly how you respond to the uncontrollable.

Remaining in this lane is the roadmap to the success you seek. It’s the only concern the process has, and it is the only thing with which you need do the same. All else remains but window-dressing.