The #1 Mindset Shift You Need To Fall In Love With The Work

3 - 6 months.

That’s how long I thought hitting my personal brand goals would take.

This was after I got clear on what I wanted to do and the vision I had for my brand.

I thought because I had some experience with content creation at that point and had already started my brand, I thought the transition and progress toward my goals would be… smoother.

And boy was I wrong.

It’s taking way longer than expected.

And some days are harder than others.

Some days the urge to give up is a little stronger.

This is the game of being an entrepreneur and a creator.

It’s a game of uncertainty and persistence.

And there’s one thing that makes it so much harder for all of us.

A trap we fall into without realising and that separates those who win the game from those who lose.

What Are You Focused On?

Most entrepreneurs and creators obsess over their goals.

You set revenue goals.

Subscriber goals.

Sales goals.

All these goals make the dream life you want to achieve tangible.

You did what most people don’t do: you set a vision and clear goals.

You create a plan for how you’re going to achieve the goals.

But despite all your planning, you’re stuck.

Overthinking.

Procrastinating.

Being inconsistent.

Avoiding the work and doing busy work.

Feeling like you’re not making progress fast enough.

Why?

Why do you get stuck in actually doing the work that makes progress towards the goals?

Because you’re focused on the wrong thing.

You’re focused on the outcome.

And when you focus on the outcome, you fall into two traps:

1. You obsess over the future instead of focusing on action.

   • You dream about hitting $20K/month but avoid the daily work required to get there.

   • You compare yourself to top creators instead of showing up and writing daily.

   • You worry about scaling when you haven’t even mastered the fundamentals.

2. You compare yourself to your goals and punish yourself for not being there already.

   • You think, “I’ll be happy once I hit my goal.”

   • You burn out because you’re forcing yourself to do things you dread.

   • You grind through work you hate just to get through it—instead of finding a way to enjoy the process.

This mindset is why so many entrepreneurs never make progress in their businesses or quit too soon.

They get dopamine from fantasising about the goal.

And when it’s time to do the work?

They avoid it.

They lose motivation and don’t do the work because there’s so much pain associated with it.

They go back to daydreaming about how amazing their life WILL BE when they achieve the goal, but they don’t take the actions that will get them there.

Then they feel frustrated and stuck because they are still in the same place.

Those feelings of being stuck lead you to look for shortcuts and get distracted by shiny objects because “that's easier.”

You look for every opportunity to achieve the goal, other than doing the work.

This is where I was too.

With my first business, I thought about how amazing it would be to achieve financial freedom

I’d plan all the things I’d do and visualise my dream life.

But when it came time to do outreach to attract clients, I was nowhere to be seen.

I held on so tightly to the outcome and it made me miserable.

I attached so much of my happiness and self-worth to it. I constantly compared my current self to my ideal self, and I always fell short.

Being outcome-focused makes success and failure very black-and-white.

You’ll feel like a failure if you don’t achieve the goal you set out for yourself.

Or worse you keep investing in the goal in hopes that something will change.

Even though you know it won’t.

Being outcome-focused leads to several issues:

• You have a limited view of what success and failure look like. It’s a very black-and-white thinking, you either succeed or you fail.

• You have an "at any cost" mentality, which can lead to unethical, unhealthy, or extreme behaviours. This mentality makes you susceptible to neglecting your well-being in various ways to achieve the goal.

• Your happiness and joy are dependent on the goal’s achievement. Having this tunnel vision can lead to you missing out on important details, lessons and experiences that may life more enjoyable.

The biggest lesson I learned when I challenged my outcome-focused thinking was:

You can’t control outcomes. You can only control the process.

The process is 99% of the journey, so why not learn to love it?

Falling in Love with the Process (and How To Win by Default)

I used to think that success was about who wanted it most.

But everyone wants success, and not everyone is successful.

When you learn from and study successful people, you’ll often hear that their favourite times and their most memorable memories were the moments on the way to their success.

It’s amazing to win a championship, win a race or sell your company for billions of dollars, but that lasts for a moment.

The moment you achieve the end goal, the goalpost has already shifted.

The outcome is only 1% of the journey, what’s the other 99%?

The process.

This is where you’ll spend most of your time towards a goal.

So maybe success isn’t about who wants it most.

Maybe it’s a byproduct of being in the process and loving what you do day-to-day.

And falling in love with the process works.

• You stop overthinking and start executing. When you focus on the process, your only job is to take the next step. No mental gymnastics about whether you're "on track"—just doing the work.

• You create momentum. Small wins stack up fast. When you fall in love with the process, you stop waiting for motivation and start building habits that carry you forward automatically.

• You make success inevitable. The outcome isn’t something you chase—it’s something that naturally follows when you commit to the process long enough.

Imagine if, instead of dreading your to-do list, you looked forward to work.

You were happy and excited to show up.

How much better would you get?

How much could you do?

How much fun could you have?

When you become process-focused, you regain much of your power because you are focused on things you can control: your efforts.

Focusing on your efforts is focusing on things in your circle of control, whereas the outcomes are things outside of your circle of control.

Focusing on the things you can control builds confidence because you see yourself taking action and making progress.

So, the key is learning to focus on the process because it’s in your control. By falling in love with the process, you can enjoy the 99% and get to the 1% faster than you might expect.

Becoming Process-Focused

Here’s how to shift from outcome-obsessed to a process-focused high performer:

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Process (Not Just Your Goal)

Define your goal, then immediately shift your focus to the actions that will get you there.

• If your goal is $20K/month → Focus on creating an irresistible offer and consistently driving traffic through content or outreach.

• If your goal is to grow your brand → Focus on showing up and providing insane value daily.

• If your goal is to work less and earn more → Focus on building systems and delegation.

Your goal is just a target.

Your daily actions are what move you forward.

So, clarify the process and break it down as much as necessary until it feels manageable.

Step 2: Find Parts of the Process You Love

You’re more likely to stick with something you enjoy.

• Hate selling? Make content that naturally attracts inbound leads.

• Struggle with discipline? Pair difficult tasks with something fun (e.g., write your content while listening to music you love).

• Feel unmotivated? Turn work into a game—track streaks, create personal challenges, or reward yourself for consistency.

Find one thing you genuinely enjoy about the process and anchor your routine around it.

When I struggled to be consistent with engagements, I paired it with my favourite music and a cup of coffee.

Simple and works every time.

Step 3: Focus on Small Wins

Most people quit because they only feel rewarded when they hit a big goal.

Instead, train your brain to love daily progress.

• Celebrate small wins (writing 500 words, sending a pitch, publishing a post).

• Track progress visually (habit trackers, progress bars, streaks).

• Set micro-goals that give you quick dopamine hits.

When you reward your efforts, consistency becomes effortless.

You create a positive association with doing the work instead of the results of the work.

Step 4: Design Your Environment for Success

Your surroundings should make it easy to execute and focus.

• Physical: Set up a workspace that fuels creativity and eliminates distractions.

• Digital: Use tools that help you automate and stay consistent.

• Social: Surround yourself with people who embody your desired habits and mindset.

Your environment should pull you into the process automatically.

A 30 Challenge: Shifting Into Your Process-Focused Mindset

For the next 30 days, forget about your big goal.

Instead, do this:

1. Pick 1 - 3 daily actions that will move you closer to your goal.

2. Make them enjoyable—find a way to link them to things you already like.

3. Track your streak (habit tracker, whiteboard, journal).

4. Celebrate your efforts to reinforce consistency.

Do this challenge and watch what happens.

You might find you feel more in control,

you’re more engaged in your work,

or you’re making more and faster progress.

Are you in? Reply and let me know what action you’re committing to this week.

It is taking longer than expected to achieve my personal brand goals, but I've come to fall in love with the process.

And I know, one way or another, as long as I keep going, I'll achieve them.

That's reassurance enough.

If you want to unlock deep focus, mental clarity and 2 - 5x your productivity, fill out this questionnaire:

https://forms.gle/CZEnptZzYy4quwRN6

That’s it from me.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I’ll see you in the next one.

— Shana