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June 8th

BRICK BY BORING BRICK

“You must build up your life action by action, and be content if

each one achieves its goal as far as possible—and no one can keep

you from this. But there will be some external obstacle! Perhaps,

but no obstacle to acting with justice, self-control, and wisdom.

But what if some other area of my action is thwarted? Well, gladly

accept the obstacle for what it is and shift your attention to what is

given, and another action will immediately take its place, one that

better fits the life you are building.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.32

lite athletes in collegiate and professional sports increasingly follow a
philosophy known as “The Process.” It’s a philosophy created by
University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who taught his players to ignore
the big picture—important games, winning championships, the opponent’s
enormous lead—and focus instead on doing the absolutely smallest things
well—practicing with full effort, finishing a specific play, converting on a
single possession. A season lasts months, a game lasts hours, catching up
might be four touchdowns away, but a single play is only a few seconds.
And games and seasons are constituted by seconds.
If teams follow The Process, they tend to win. They overcome obstacles
and eventually make their way to the top without ever having focused on
the obstacles directly. If you follow The Process in your life—assembling
the right actions in the right order, one right after another—you too will do
well. Not only that, you will be better equipped to make quick work of the
obstacles along that path. You’ll be too busy putting one foot in front of the
next to even notice the obstacles were there.