Appreciating The Process And Not Just the Outcome

This umbrella is a special product of the city of Gifu. Its made using Mino Wachi, a strong local paper. This is one of the traditional crafts in Japan that is difficult to make with over 100 steps involved from start to finish (Wikipedia)

And to think we complain on the process of becoming successful... This is just an umbrella yet the process involved 100 steps from start to finish. This umbrella reminds me of the importance of focusing on the process and not just the outcome. There is nothing wrong trying to achieve a specific goal. However, most of the time when we just focus on the outcome, we cannot deny the fact that it stresses us out and suffocates us. We must learn to better focus and appreciate on the joy in the process. Doing this, we'll more likely achieve positive results and sustain momentum.

Indeed, nowadays most of us resort to quick fixes. We want immediate solutions to our problems forgetting that most of the time everything takes time. It takes time before a caterpillar transforms to become a butterfly. It takes time before a bud blossoms. It takes time to create a work of art that would become a masterpiece. It takes time before a novice finally competes in the Olympics. We forget that to really achieve impeccable results in everything we do, we need to allow ourselves to be patient, love the difficult and love the process, find the joy in it, especially if what we thrive for to achieve in this lifetime is what really matters to us: our dreams.