232: "Trust the Process"

When I was in grad school studying persuasion (yes, that’s a thing), I was at this 10-day residency intensive, where we did an incredible deep-dive into our subject areas with the help of these incredible professors and mentors. In those 10 days, we had to create our plan for the semester… and it was INTENSE. And because I’m an ideas person, I had a bajillion of them… Lots of ideas - lots of hard work - but focus? Not so much. My brain would swirl, and I’d start down one path and then question where I was going and then wonder what I was doing and then veer into another direction. Every day I’d show up to my mentor’s office and say “I’ve got it!” I’m going to do this! - … and then I’d spend a day getting inspired by someone’s talk or a discussion with some brilliant professor - and I’d be off in another direction.

Every few days I would freak out and say - I’m not going to get there! I’m not going to figure it out.
And my awesome mentor would say - “Trust the process.”

Kind of like when I was in theater and we’d be putting on shows… and a few weeks from opening i would think - “we’re never going to get there. This is a mess.”

My directors would say - "Trust the process."

I mean - work hard - invest yourself fully - but TRUST.

And we would get there.

When I gave my dream TEDx talk…
There was a moment - about 10 days out from the talk - where I thought…This is horrible. This is the worst. I’m the worst. Do I even know what I’m talking about!? I’m about to crash and burn in this field where I’m supposed to be an expert…
But - I kept at it - moved through it - and got to a place where I was so proud of what I have created.

Believe me, I had to say my own advice back to me a hundred times:
“Trust the process”
“Trust the process”
Trust the process

Because creating a talk is a PROCESS.
You can’t short-cut it, because it’s a process of DISCOVERY, and gaining clarity only comes from working the process.

Here’s how it goes:
We create - we refine - we share - we experience doubts - we push through and share again - and refine again - and create again - we wade through a season of fears and doubts and THEN we experience beloved CLARITY AND AHA’S AND what my husband calls “illumination.”

We can’t get to illumination without the PROCESS.

So - As you bring your talk to life -
in ANY CONTEXT -
virtual, live and in person, through a webinar or keynote or podcast conversation…

You must FIRST go through the process.
And when you’re in those moments of doubt - questioning everything -
"This isn’t working, won’t work, this is dumb, I’m dumb, I hate this…" -
know that as long as you’re working the process - the process is working in you.