Enjoy the Process

The finish line, your hand being raised, victory, achieving the goal; that for the most part is what we tend to value: the prize. But at the same time, the process is something that can be an immensely joyful experience. Enjoying the journey, being in the moment, and soaking it all in; having that presence will make the achievement of the goal all the more fulfilling.

Some fighters who were on the verge of retirement and internally knew that they were on their way out of the sport, tended to have a stronger sense of enjoying the process. Guys such as Randy Couture and Matt Serra, had a real appreciation for the lead up to the fight in their last battles because they knew that it was not going to last forever, and that one day they would never make that walk to the UFC Octagon ever again. So they enjoyed it thoroughly with a big embrace of appreciation.

Another fighter in the UFC, who is still competing at lightweight and tries to emulate this sentiment, is Gray Maynard:

You have to enjoy it all because it’ll come and go. Then you’ll be old and fat and retired and drinking a beer like, “Damn, I tried to hurry that up. Why didn’t I enjoy it more?” So I really enjoy the process.

Gray knows that he's not going to be competing in this sport forever and cherishes what he has and is enjoying the moment. Rashad Evans, who is a very deep thinker, also has that strong sense of gratitude instilled into his psyche:

I'm going to appreciate everything because before you know it, this will be just a memory...My time will pass. So I'm going to enjoy this moment, I'm going to have fun...And I'm going to thank you for making me who I am today.

This attitude is reminiscent of one of Tony Robbins quotes. Robbins has helped thousands worldwide, and also inspired some UFC fighters such as Diego Sanchez, and give tips to Chuck Liddell before one of his bouts. Additionally, UFC president Dana White and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan noted in the past that they found use from his cassette tapes many years back coming up in their careers. Robbins has a lot of wise words to say about enjoying the process and how it's the journey which is equally if not more important than the final destination:

“Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”