Trust the process. Lately, I’ve been telling myself this a lot and I think I am finally understanding more what it means to trust the process.
Just the other day, I jogged five miles on my own at a steady pace, without stopping. I remember waking up that morning on low sleep, feeling tired and a bit groggy, and not really wanting to go to my 9AM class, let alone on a long jog. After class, I remember telling a couple of people I ran into that I was about to go on a four mile jog (more as a way to keep myself accountable and ensure that I actually followed through), only to realize as I checked my phone after that it would be a five mile one. I felt pretty discouraged and thought I might stop a couple times, but I told myself I had to finish it. And so, I set off to jog by the Schuylkill River, and to change it up, I decided to listen to some podcasts rather than music. I found myself hearing sayings like “if you want to change your life, you have to start today,” and “the workout hasn’t really begun until you feel pain—that’s where you are actually making changes to yourself.” I found myself nodding along to the motivating music and voice, practicing positive self-talk, and telling myself to push myself; I paced myself and soon enough I had finished the five miles, with the last mile as my strongest and fastest one! I didn’t stop once (except at the traffic lights on the way to the trail)! I surprised myself and felt energized to keep going at the end! Wow it felt so good!
The following Saturday, I jogged six miles with my friend without stopping (except at traffic lights) and found myself very capable of doing so, surprising myself yet again!
I have renewed confidence that I can finish this half-marathon, and I think a large part of it is me trusting the process. I am trusting that by training each day, each week, my small steps will lead to big ones. I want to always keep the bigger goals in mind, but I need to trust that every effort counts. I can’t just idealize a goal and not take practical steps. If you asked me at the beginning of the semester, I think I would have been more nervous to jog five or six miles, and might have stopped a couple times (likely due to more of a mental barrier than a physical one). I am so happy with my progress so far, and while 13.1 miles is definitely longer, I am trusting the process of hard work, consistency, and dedication.
This attitude also applies to my eating decisions. This month, Grace and I are tracking some of our goals together each day, which has honestly been so helpful and such a great way to stay accountable (we reflect on whether we have achieved our goals or not at the end of each day). If I’m being honest, I want to lose some of the weight I’ve put on in college and just in general. I think I have always wanted to do so, and I am happy to say that so far in December, my eating habits have been quite good. While it isn’t realistic to want to lose a ton of weight in a week, and become super toned and fit, I think this is another area where I am trusting the process. By working hard and staying disciplined each day, small steps will eventually lead to bigger results. Though sometimes I do wish it could go faster, I am trusting this process of making small but significant changes each day!
In general, I think there is often a discrepancy between the life we want to live and the life we are living. If I’m being completely honest, I know I am far from the person I really want to be and the life I want to be living, but I am also grateful for how far I have come and for the person I am becoming. I think by trusting the process and working each day and recognizing how important small steps are in making big differences, we can slowly build towards living the life we want to be living. We can get closer and closer. Here’s to trusting the process and taking action! :)
Saved by grace, through faith.
With love,
Joyce
Bible Verse Connection: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
P.S. This image was taken this past summer in Hawaii (I felt very blessed to be able to travel with my family; we went right before moving in to college)! I definitely was more fit then and am slowly working to get back to a similar point physically (and hopefully surpass this too)! I love working out and being healthy and am trusting da process woohoo! :) Yayayay! (Also can we take a moment—that view! Seeing beautiful views always reminds me of how beautiful life is heh! God is good! :'))
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