Yearly Cycle: Trust and Enjoy the Process

When I was playing college baseball I missed a good portion of my senior season due to an illness. When I could finally play I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well, but the more pressure I put on myself the worse I performed. Finally, I made a decision to simply have fun, and that simple mindset shift led to some of the best games of my college career. 

We have been talking lately about finding God's direction for our lives in this new year. Once we have found the direction we are supposed to be moving we must trust and find joy in the process. Any goal worth attaining is more than likely going to take a process or series of steps in order to walk it out, and it's important to trust the process and have fun along the way. Here are some keys to trust and find more joy in the process. 

Trusting the Process

We are not talking about trust in ourselves that we can figure it out. We are talking about trusting that God will guide us along the path, that he has a good plan for us, that he will come through at the right time, even when we may not fully understand what he is up to as things unfold. And trusting that if we keep showing up and doing good eventually we will see results. 

When we trust in God we can rest. We don't have to toil, trying to figure everything out or force things to happen. Instead we can turn over the worry of everything to him and just keep showing up doing what we know to do and doing good every time we have the opportunity. 

Our indicator that we are trusting is that we have hope and confidence. Confidence that God is going to work things for our good, in his timing. It is this hope and confidence in God that gets us through the middle to the other side. Usually from the time we start something new to the time we see a breakthrough there are some storms in the middle. It is during the middle that we can put our trust, hope, and confidence in God's unfailing love for us to get us to the other side. 

Showing Up Consistently

Whatever change you want to see this year is going to require consistency. This means showing up and doing what you know to do consistently. One of the greatest keys to consistency is gentleness. We are in a time of year when the majority of people are going to take the opposite approach. They are going to go crazy working toward their goals, burn out, and quit. How can you take a more gentle approach this year that is focused on growth and building momentum? A gentler approach is also much more enjoyable. 

How you show up

Another big key is how we show up. Joy is our indicator that we are present and fully engaged in what we are doing. Imagine two people are working out consistently. The first person is just going through the motions, while the second person is showing up fully present and engaged in whatever they are working on. How you show up is just as important as showing up. 

Questions

If you ever get into a time this year where you are frustrated with your results or simply aren't having fun here are some questions to ask...

1) Are you showing up consistently doing what you know to do?

2) Are you showing up fully engaged, present, and having fun?

If the answer to either of these questions is NO, then give yourself grace, stop beating yourself up, and take the pressure off of yourself. Simply show up and have fun. 

If the answer to these questions is YES to both, then this is the time to pray and ask God for help. The answer will either be... stay the course and keep doing what you are doing because it is only a matter of time or there is an adjustment you need to make. 

Once you pray take the time to be still and listen because if there is an adjustment that is needed God will show you.