<p>I work at an oil refinery. We process crude oil and make products that help our community function like gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, propane for grills, butane, and more.</p><p>We make a wide variety of products that each have a targeted and impactful end use, but the feed going into the plant is one big italian dressing of a mixture.</p><p>So how do we split up the italian dressing into all of the individual ingredients on the back of the bottle?</p><p>How do we <strong><em>create</em></strong> these valuable products?</p><p>We send the feed through a series of vessels of varying sizes at a wide range of temperatures (50 to 1000 degrees) and pressures (pressures up to the equivalent of being 5000 ft under the sea surface). Millions of gallons a day are boiled, cooled, chemically-reacted, and more.</p><p>Change a temperature and pressure at one step in the sequence, and the product goes off-spec. <strong><em>The sequence matters</em></strong>. That's why there are trained professionals monitoring the plant 24/7.</p><p>And as a result of the precise sequence of these steps, we create a product that enables a half-million pound plane to fly safely across the country.</p><p>The interesting thing is, it all starts out cold at the beginning, and ends up cold as a product. <strong><em>But the extreme variation in conditions in between make the product what it is.</em></strong> The product makes my Ford Escape engine work like a top; the feed would break it.</p><p>It's similar in life. Every experience you have prepares you for a version of the future, <strong><em>but the way you get there matters.</em></strong></p><p>Who I was 10 years ago as a freshman in college would be overwhelmed by the responsibilities I have today; the person I've become can handle it.</p><p>So if I see an opportunity to grow my character—to engage with stressors that I believe will lead to long-term character development—I want to pursue it. <strong><em>I want to be refined, cast and shaped</em></strong> into someone of strong character, because that's what will maximize my resilience in the future.</p><p>That's what process goals can provide. This year, I'm writing more, reading my bible in a year, increasing the intensity of my workouts and coaching lacrosse for the first time. All of these involve discipline and commitment over time, not just sprints.</p><p>They each add their own version of personal pressure to my life. Pressure that I hope will refine, cast and shape me into a more capable person while having fun along the way.</p><p>The goal is to scale the pressure addition as quickly as I can, like a learning curve but for the disciplined pursuit of character-building.</p><p>And if I could find ways to do that year-in, year-out?</p><p>Wow, what fun that would be.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.grantnice.blog?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">www.grantnice.blog</a>