When to trust the process.
A group of my friends recently shared a story about a disappointing pottery class experience. They said the instructor merely told them to form a clay ball on the wheel and begin turning it. He did not tell them why, to what end, or how to shape it. In fact, the teacher just told them to follow along and trust the process. This left my friends literally and figuratively spinning in circles.
Trust the process is a common phrase often used to encourage someone to relax, be patient, or stay the course, even when something doesn’t appear to be working. It can be a useful reminder to embrace all aspects of the journey. Yet, in some contexts, this notion can also be dismissive and frustrating. This is particularly true if one is asked to blindly trust a new or unknown process.
It could be something simple like taking a pottery class for the first time, or something bigger like our romantic relationships or our work. In these contexts, we deserve to understand and be on board with what we are moving towards. It empowers us. Anything less is, well, disempowering.
Knowing what it’s all for and to what end: this builds trust.
Showing up consistently over time: this is the process.