Article

Work the Process. But, Do You Have a Process?

by Brian Cain, MPM

It’s not always easy to find the energy needed to do the day to day tasks that are necessary to reach your lofty goals. 

Your daily energy is finite. Which is why you can’t waste your energy on things you can’t control. 

But if you know how to develop the process over outcome skillset in the athletes or clients you coach, they will know how to direct their energy to what they can control and this decision to let go of what you can’t control will save you tons of energy you can use elsewhere.

One common mindset that is consistent among all the successful athletes I coach including recent UFC Hall of Fame inductee Georges St. Pierre and is that they control what they can control and give little time and little energy to what they can’t control. 

Why? 

They know the fastest way to get to your goals is to control the things you can control.  

What can you control? 

Yourself

Your Attitude

Your Appearance (Body Language)

Your Accountability

Your Preparation

Your Process

Your Present Moment Focus 

Your Effort

Your Energy

Your Emotions

(In short… Your APE)

Like all the other pillars of mental performance I teach, focusing on the process over outcome skillset is trainable. 

Here are strategies for training the mental game skill of process over outcome. 

1. Hit Every Step

You can’t skip steps in the process and expect to make it to the top.  Every single step in the process teaches you something you’ll need when you get to the top. If you skip a step, you won’t gain that skill or awareness you need. 

2.  Make a list, (literally write this down) of the things you can control and the things you can’t control. 

Every day we need to be reminded of the basics. There is actually very little you can control. Which is good. Because your daily dose of energy is finite. So, all your energy needs to go to what you can control. Reminding yourself of what you can control will help you maintain your energy levels, allowing you to stay on track and in your process. 

After you make your list, send me a screenshot of it. DM me on Instagram @briancainpeak 

I’ll take a look at what you send me and give you feedback.

3. Properly interpret what the people who tell you to “keep your eye on the prize” are really saying… “Focus on the process”

If you are working your process, then keeping your eyes on the outcome is going to cause you to trip over the present moment. 

Yes, you should identify your big goal. But, once you identify it you need to know the process you’ll take to reach that goal. And then you need to keep your eyes (and mind) on the process. 

I teach my clients that they need it have 2 types of goals. Telescope goals and microscope goals. 

Telescope goals are where you want to go in the future, let’s say after this week. 

Microscope goals focus on what needs to be done in the next 24 hours or into the next week in order to bring you to that telescope goal.  

Set your destination.   Then reverse engineer (work backwards) all the way to today. What do you need to do today to get yourself one step closer to that goal? 

Taking THAT STEP, today, is working the process. 

Of course, this implies that you have a process. 

Below this video, tell me a little about yourself and your process in the comments section and I’ll be sure to comment on your comment and help you develop your winning process.

For Athletes

Tired of falling short of your potential? I’ll teach you the systems and secrets I use to help world-class athletes perform at an elite level.

In this FREE MiniCourse, Brian Cain will teach you how to:

  • Unlock your potential and make adversity your advantage by developing an elite mindset.
  • Become a machine of consistency by establishing the right performance routines and habits of excellence.
  • Get clarity on WHO you are, WHAT you want—and discover the behaviors you must start and stop to get the results you’ve been lacking.

Learn More

For Coaches

Help your athletes master the mental game so they can consistently perform their best, overcome any obstacle, and stay focused under pressure.

In this FREE MiniCourse, Brian Cain will teach you how to:

  • Get your athletes to perform their best when it means the most by using a SYSTEM to create an elite mindset.
  • Compete at a higher level, more consistently—while managing distraction and adversity—by establishing the RIGHT routines. 
  • Create the championship culture you need in your program to develop elite athlete leaders and cultivate a clear vision that keeps your people motivated and juiced up.

Learn More