Brick by brick.
Those three words carry the weight of a metric ton.
We use them to describe the methodical nature of creating something big. To convey the importance of building on a solid foundation.
Most of all, we use them to talk about process.
Process is not the sexiest of words. It doesn’t have the sizzle or pizzazz to turn heads.
But process is not a word to be taken lightly. For it keeps the world turning.
When I was 6 years old, I went with my family to see the latest blockbuster Disney movie.
Its name: The Lion King.
The movie had everything a Disney production is renowned for.
I remember being captivated by the illustrations of the African savannahs, ensconced by the musical score and captivated by the storytelling.
But most of all, I remember one concept from the film: The Circle of Life.
That concept, of course, was immortalized by an Elton John song. But it was also part of the movie’s dialogue.
Early in the film, the great lion Mufasa warns his young son Simba — the movie’s hero — to understand the balance of the world around him and respect all creatures. Mufasa reminds Simba that even though lions feast on antelope in life, they themselves will eventually die and become part of the grass the antelope eat.
This cyclical pattern is not without precedent. Shakespeare featured it in many of his plays. And it manifested itself in history with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
Still, it was The Lion King that really drove the concept home for me.
I have been process-oriented ever since I left the theater that day. In fact, process has become part of my life’s mantra: Accept the challenge. Embrace the process.
Process has taught me the value of patience. It’s shown me the power of persistence. And it’s unveiled for me the majesty of the bigger picture.
Life-changing takeaways from a Disney movie, indeed.
I firmly believe the Lion King was the seminal movie of my generation.
Proof abounds to support this assertion.
The Lion King was the highest grossing Disney animated movie of the 1990s. Many of my peers have named their pets Simba, Nala, Mufasa and Sarabi. And friends and acquaintances have lifted up small animals or infants skyward with both hands, as Rafiki does to the newborn Simba at the start of the film.
Yes, the movie is a cultural staple — more than a quarter century after its release.
But I’m not sure if the Circle of Life metaphor carries that same level of gravitas.
Things move faster these days. And with that increased speed comes an acceleration of instant gratification.
Instant gratification would have been as far-fetched a term in the 1990s as smartphone. More of a pipe dream than imminent reality.
The world simply didn’t work that way back then.
When The Lion King was first released, people traveled to movie theaters to see it. Families waited in long lines at the box office and strode across floors sticky with spilled soda in order to claim the best seats.
After the theatrical release was complete, the film would disappear for a few months. Then, it would appear on store shelves as a VHS tape. You know — the physical cassettes you had to rewind once the credits stopped rolling.
Those videotapes would sell like hotcakes. For consumers knew that once the VHS release period was over, Disney would put the film into the mystical Disney vault — thereby blocking direct access to it for years.
Looking back, this was an incredibly inconvenient process. Still, there were few alternatives. The Internet was nascent and Disney had full control over distribution.
Families had to clear these hurdles to ensure they had on-demand access to the film.
Today, the barriers are largely gone. Disney still has distribution rights to The Lion King, but the entertainment giant has re-released it as a live action movie and a Broadway musical. And the company is on the verge of launching a streaming service that is sure to bring The Lion King to household TV screens worldwide at the click of a button.
The sticky movie theater floors? The rewinding of the videotape? Both are relics of the past.
For a nominal price, instant gratification can save the day.
My generation has soaked up this phenomenon outside of the Disneyverse as well. My peers have become obsessed with push-button solutions to their every beck and call.
Technology providers are more than happy to fill this void with streaming entertainment and smartphone apps for everything from food delivery to online dating.
Yet, even with the world at our fingertips, process doesn’t disappear.
The Earth still turns at the same speed, and our lives still follow the same familiar cycle.
It’s simply our patience for the big picture that has waned.
The instant gratification revolution has made our lives better in many ways.
It’s made shopping less of a drag and enabled our entertainment channels to travel with us. It’s allowed us to stay informed at every turn, and it’s freed up more time for us to be productive.
Yet, instant gratification is not a panacea.
There are plenty of areas where the slow hands of progress reign supreme — by design.
These include fitness and our relationships. But they also include the workplace.
I’ve heard of plenty of young adults these days entering the workforce with outsized demands. They want the keys to the castle from Day One, with all the bells and whistles.
Amazingly, in a historically tight labor market, many of these aspiring career launchers get much of what they ask for off the bat. But after a few months, the shine wears off.
These young employees get frustrated or bored and jump ship for another opportunity. The company fills the position with a new twentysomething, and the cycle perpetuates.
I don’t fault the young adults or the employers for this pattern. Both parties are adapting with the times in a society where the market climate dictates the terms of play.
However, I do take issue with the lack of regard for process in our working lives.
When I graduated college, I moved halfway across the country to take a challenging job as a TV news producer. My salary was less than those of the cashiers at the local Walmart, and my work schedule had me on-duty until 11 PM each night.
Yet, despite these obstacles, I came to work energized and determined each day.
I knew that I was young and inexperienced in the working world. And I understood that improvement would take time and consistent effort.
So, I focused on being better at my job each day than I was the day before. I embraced the process.
By the time I left television, I was far better as a producer than I was the day I started.
I’ve replicated this pattern in my digital marketing career, in my business school studies and in my volunteer leadership work. Even in environments focused heavily on the here and now, I’ve taken the long view in my approach. I’ve committed myself to the process.
This approach hasn’t always given me instant gratification. My increases in position and salary have been sporadic and modest.
But what it has given me is opportunity. An opportunity to look myself in the mirror each day with full knowledge that I’m building toward something greater.
This is what being process-oriented is all about. And, in my humble opinion, this is what careers should be all about as well.
So, in these fast-moving, on-demand times, don’t forget to consider the greater picture.
Take a step back to recognize the subtle beauty of process.
For if our lives are what we make of them, we can do better than endlessly pursuing hacks and short cuts. We’re better off building our future.
Gradually. Methodically.
Brick by brick.