Stop Chasing Results, Start Building Habits

I want to talk about a shift that’s helped me and many other entrepreneurs avoid burnout and stay consistent. It’s the difference between outcome goals and process goals. Most people chase outcomes—more followers, more revenue, more deals. But when you tie your identity to things you can’t control, you set yourself up for stress and disappointment. You miss a goal because of something out of your hands—a sick week, a market shift—and suddenly you’re doubting your worth. That’s not sustainable.

I believe in hustle, but I also believe in doing it smart. That’s why I always say, hustle hard, hustle smart, and hustle with a smile. You can’t just run full-speed toward a number and hope to stay healthy in the process. That’s how families suffer. That’s how health suffers. So I focus on process goals—things you can do every day that move you toward success. Things you can track and celebrate no matter what’s happening around you.

If your goal is to land three clients a month, the process goal might be to reach out to five prospects a day. That’s within your control. If your outcome is 10,000 followers, your process goal might be to publish two videos a week. If you want better health, you can walk or work out for 30 minutes a day. You get to win every day by doing what you committed to. That win releases dopamine, boosts your motivation, and keeps you going.

And when life gets in the way—which it will—you can catch up. If you miss your five calls today, do ten tomorrow. Try doing that with missed revenue. It’s not the same. You can’t make up five grand with willpower alone, but you can show up tomorrow and work your system. That’s why process goals protect your mental health and build long-term success.

If you want to go deeper on this, I recommend three books. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams lays out the foundation. Atomic Habits refines it into a daily system. The Compound Effect shows how small actions add up over time. All of them come back to this idea—control your inputs, and the outcomes follow.

So here’s your challenge. Pick one process goal. Stick with it every day this week. Track it. Celebrate it. That’s where real growth begins.