The Process is the Victory: Why Winners Don't Think About Winning

Recently I watched an interview with a professional tennis player. They asked him: "What do you think about during an important match?"

His answer was direct: "Nothing related to winning."

He explained that when he steps on the court, he doesn't think about the trophy, the ranking, or the money. He thinks about the next point. The position of his feet. The serve. Variables he controls.

This is the secret nobody wants to hear because it sounds anticlimactic.

Why Obsessing Over Results is a Losing Game

Think about it: What do you have in common with a result you don't control?

Nothing. You don't control it.

I spent years building products obsessed with metrics I couldn't directly control. How many users I'd have. How much money it would generate. When it would grow.

What happened: constant anxiety. Impulsive decisions. Changes in direction every time numbers didn't match my expectations.

The shift came when I realized something obvious: results are consequence, not cause.

If you want more users, don't obsess over "having more users." Obsess over writing code that solves a real problem. Communicating clearly what your product does. Responding quickly to feedback. Iterating fearlessly.

Those are processes. That's what you control.

The Olympic Athletes Example

Sports psychologists discovered this decades ago. Athletes who win don't visualize the medal. They visualize the movement. The swimming coach doesn't say "imagine winning." They say "imagine every stroke perfect."

Why this works:

Your brain can execute actions, not results
Anxiety disappears when you focus on what's controllable
Consistency emerges when you repeat processes, not when you chase goals

The Dark Side of Objectives

I'm not saying objectives are bad. You need them. But there's a difference between:

"I want a million users" (obsession with result)

vs.

"I'll improve retention 5% each month, and document what works" (obsession with process)

One paralyzes you. The other moves you.

Master thinkers consistently point to this. The best investor isn't the one who predicts the future, but the one with a robust process for making decisions under uncertainty. The best entrepreneur isn't the one with the perfect idea, but the one with the discipline to iterate.

The logic is the same across every domain.

How to Shift Your Mindset in Three Moves

1. Identify what's outside your control

In my case as a developer:

How many people buy my SaaS (outside)
How much organic traffic I get (outside)
If a competitor copies my idea (outside)

Instead:

The quality of code I write (inside)
The speed I ship features (inside)
How I respond to users (inside)

Write two lists. Do it now.

2. Design processes for what's controllable

Don't say "I'll succeed." Design a process:

I review code rigorously every Tuesday
I talk to 3 users every week
I ship one feature every 10 days
I write publicly about what I learn

Those are processes. Specific. Measurable. Repeatable.

3. Measure the process, not the result

This is crucial: measure whether you executed the process, not whether you got the result.

Did you talk to users? ✓ (process completed) Did they buy? ✗ (result, not your direct responsibility)

Living in the first is liberating. Living in the second is torture.

The Compound of Process

Something magical happens when you repeat a good process:

At first, nothing visible.

Then, small changes.

Eventually, transformation.

This is more powerful than any goal because it doesn't depend on a specific moment. It depends on consistency.

In my software projects, I've seen that the ones that grow are the ones that:

Ship regularly (not in bursts)
Talk to users constantly (not when "they have time")
Iterate based on feedback (not assumptions)

They're not the ones with the most brilliant idea. They're the ones with the most disciplined process.

The Paradox: Better Results Come From Process

Here's the irony: when you focus on the process, results typically improve.

Not because you've "won," but because:

1. You eliminate anxiety → better decisions 2. You repeat effective actions → compounding 3. You learn constantly → improvement

I see many entrepreneurs obsessed with the funding round, valuation, exit. But the ones actually building something lasting think differently:

"Am I building a product people need? Am I listening to feedback? Am I improving every week?"

Those are processes. And those processes generate results that matter.

Your Mindset is Your Compass

The difference between someone who grows and someone who stagnates isn't luck. It's mindset.

It's not the mindset of "I will win." It's the mindset of "I will execute an excellent process, consistently, without knowing exactly when or how the result will come, but trusting it will."

That requires faith. But not in magic. Faith that repeated actions generate consequences.

Takeaway

This week, do this:

1. Write one process you can control (not a result you can't) 2. Execute it 5 times 3. Measure whether you executed it, not whether you "won"

Repeat for 3 months.

Then look back.

Most people don't do this because it's boring. There's no dopamine hit of "winning." Only the small satisfaction of executing well.

But that small satisfaction, repeated, is what separates winners from noise.

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*What's the process you need to design in your business or career? Share in the comments. Clear processes generate clear results.*