The Process

Everyone always talks about "The Process". I know it didn't start with Nick Saban, the football coach at Alabama, but I feel like when he started talking about it (while winning National Championships year in and year out) that the idea really exploded and now it is something I hear all the time.

Trust the Process
It's not about winning it's about the process
We are just focused on the process each and every day
If we focus on the process, then everything else will take care of itself

I'm sure you've heard all of the quotes. No disrespect to Saban (partly because I do NOT want to be on the receiving end of one of his butt chewings, and I'm sure he's reading my blog) but it seems easy to trust the process you've created when you have a closet full of National Champion rings to validate your process.

The question I'm asking myself right now is, "How do I trust the process when I don't know where it is leading?"

And I think that is both the frustrating thing, and the most valuable thing about "The Process". You get the most out of it, by sticking with it, staying true to your habits and areas of consistency, and focusing on what you are doing rather than wishing you were somewhere else. The difficult thing, however, is when you don't know where that process will lead, and when it doesn't look as if it is leading anywhere in particular.

This is not easy. There is no national championship at the end to allow me to assess my process or redirect as needed. Sometimes we are on a path, and we know where we would like to end up, but we aren't sure where the long and winding road will lead.

I don't know if this is encouraging or not, but the answer that I have arrived at, at least for now, is this:

It's not easy, but it's worth it, if you are willing to make the investment.

I'm in "the process" now. I'm working with a coach/mentor/encourager, and I'm 2 months in and I'm a better person already. I don't know where it is leading, but I know RIGHT NOW, I'm getting better. And I know that wherever I want to go (and I would guess the same is true for wherever you want to go) I'm going to need to grow and improve. I don't believe I can put myself and my family in a better position, without getting better (a better version of me, my best self). Even though there is nothing more than an outline of my future, my right now, is very clear. I know what I'm working ON, if I don't know EXACTLY what I'm moving toward. I know WHO I want to be, even if I don't know the WHERE or the WHAT just yet. I believe the WHERE and the WHAT can change unexpectedly, but the WHO will stay with me. My dad used to say, "Inch by inch, life's a cinch, yard by yard, life is hard".

The alternative to this challenge, is to stay right where we are. Follow the script, which someone else has written, remain frustrated, or continue to be something less than you are designed to be.

I'll choose the process, with all its' uncertainty and challenge.

Trust the process. One inch at a time. One day you will look up and be grateful that you did.

Much Love,
Bryan