“Trust the process.” – Anonymous

For the past three years, one of my kiddos has struggled with some less-than-great eating habits. Her pediatrician was unconcerned and told me to just wait it out. But as a mother who values the six main food groups, I started her in OT at the age of 2. At a high level, my immediate goal was to get her to eat more nutritious food. I figured this might take six months, at the most. Fast forward 1.5 years. She can tolerate being near food she doesn’t like, smell it and sometimes even touch it.

These months have been very frustrating for both of us. Weekly visits and eating exercises at each meal are mentally and emotionally draining. The OT sessions were very different from what I had imagined. She would often just hang out, touch, and smell new foods. I found myself wondering, “When will she actually EAT the food”. While the progress has been excruciatingly slow to me, her OT celebrates the little wins. She points out the progress made every session since day 1.

She continually reminds me to trust the process. 

For me, trusting the process means leaning into where you are in the moment. It means acknowledging that maybe you have a long way to go to achieve what you desire. But it also means acknowledging how far you’ve come. It is a reminder to be grateful for all you have overcome; to recognize that your journey has been no easy task. It is providing yourself with grace and understanding that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. The rest will come in time. You will learn from all of the bumps and challenges along the way, and that’s the point. Perseverance will not only make you grow as a person, but will make the reward of achieving your goals that much sweeter. If you pay attention to the small steps leading up to achieving your goal, you may even find that you’re enjoying yourself.

Reflecting on this, it would be a huge step for my daughter to go from not wanting to even look at the food she doesn’t like, to willingly putting it in her mouth, chewing, and swallowing it. The therapy process was encouraging her to become comfortable with new food, experimenting at her own pace, and taking small manageable steps forward. 

Trusting the Process When it Comes to Your Career

I think this can be a good reminder for those that are frustrated in their careers, but feel like transitioning to a new career is insurmountable. For those of you who are impatient like me, deep down you know that trolling job boards day in and day out is not going to help you find what you are looking for, and yet you find yourself endlessly looking anyway. It may seem that if you don’t actively apply to jobs—whether or not you were truly interested in them—then you didn’t take any tangible actions that day toward finding a new job.

The reality is, while it might take longer and require more patience, taking the time to do the self-analysis to identify who you are and what you value is a pivotal step toward figuring out the next step in your career. Those tiny steps that you take every day will eventually lead you toward your seemingly impossible goal. You will get there—just don’t forget to enjoy the ride while you’re trusting the process. 

~ Kristin