Years ago, I was lucky enough to be included in a tour of the Pixar Studios in Emeryville. I absolutely love a behind-the-scenes tour, and I was soaking up every bit that I could. As we were walking through the offices of the amazing people who work at Pixar, I noticed a small post-it note on one of their office doors. “Story is Process” it said. And I’ve been thinking about that idea of a focus on process ever since.
More recently, I’ve interviewed for a couple of new jobs. It has been a while since I’ve interviewed, so I spent time really preparing for the interviews for Job #1. The interview went well, I showed up as I wanted to, but then I fell into the trap of thinking and thinking about the outcome. Would I get the job? Would I like the job? When would I start the job? Etc etc. I was focusing on the outcome. Which was, by the way, completely out of my control. And when I didn’t get the job, I was disappointed. Which is exactly the feeling I shouldn’t have had.
What stoicism says about what we can control
Stoicism has been an amazing gift in my life. I’m not sure if there’s been anything else that’s had the same impact on my mental wellbeing. And the core tenet of stoicism is to focus on what you can control. That’s it. There are a lot of other aspects of the practice, but if all I do is that, I’m probably in a pretty good place.
So I am guessing that Marcus Aurelius would probably advise me to do the following for my next job interviews:
- Apply for jobs that are of interest (= take action rather than wait for something to happen)
- Prepare appropriately (= do my best to increase the odds of success)
- Execute (= put the plan in motion)
- Dispassionately await the result (= focus on the process that I can control as opposed to the outcome)
- Rinse and repeat
Annie Duke has a few thoughts on this topic as well
I love hearing interviews with Annie Duke, a former professional poker player now academic. She is super smart, and she thinks in a very logical, statistics-based way. And she really emphasizes that you have to focus on the process rather than the outcome. Statistically, that’s the only way to (almost) guarantee success in the long run.
Don’t rely on luck. Rely on your process and your good decision-making. It’s the only thing you can control.
“If we get our focus on process then, over the long run, the outcomes are going to come…What’s interesting, however, is that if you focus on outcomes, it can be counterproductive.”
“So if we want to do well, we need to get our focus off outcomes – certainly short-term and individual outcomes – and start to focus on process and decision quality.”
Annie Duke on The Value Perspective podcast
How the process for Job# 2 interviews is going
So fast forward a couple of months from Job#1 interviews. I’ve got a new opportunity in front of me- Job #2. I do much of the same thing as the first go-round. Apply for the job. Prepare for the interview. Execute the plan and preparation. But this time, I stop. I had done my best. Now, my part is over. I have done “the process” and the outcome is completely out of my hands. And somehow, this rethink seems to be working. I feel rather neutral about the eventual outcome. Maybe I’ll get the job, maybe I won’t. I am continuing my life as if I will not. While actively looking for other opportunities, I continue to focus on my current job. And my mental health seems to be a lot better.
Odds are, I won’t get this job. But I know that I did my best, and I know that if I continue the “process”, eventually I will triumph.
What I think “Story is Process” means
Pixar is known for its storytelling. And those stories don’t just magically appear one day. There is a process for creating them, a formula. And the people of Pixar are saying “If we follow the process that has worked for us for years, we have a very good chance of getting a great outcome.” Of course, it’s not guaranteed. But it’s probably the best shot that they have of long term, overall success.
So when I apply “Story is Process” to my own life, I am reminding myself that while I cannot control the outcome, if I focus on the process, in the long term, I will be ok. Maybe even more than ok! And I’ll save myself a lot of needless handwringing and anxiety in the meantime.
