As a athlete and competitor I've always heard "trust the process". If you've competed for a while (in bodybuilding or other arenas) you know this saying all to well. If your new to competing and haven't heard "trust the process" wait on it....its coming. The first time I heard this is when I was feeling down on myself because I wasn't making any progress. I am sure none of you have ever felt this way but imagine my frustration. I had been killing it in the gym and my nutrition plan and felt like time was going lighting speed with my competition fast approaching. While I was in the midst of a midst of a mini meltdown my coach just looked over all calm, cool, and collected and said, "trust the process".
I literally felt like I was being transported in the Karate Kid movie where Mr. Miyagi has the main character Daniel waxing a car. I was so confused. Why are you so calm? Aren't you worried we don't have enough time? What if I'm not ready? and What the HELL do you mean "trust the process"? I know now is that moment was just just like Karate Kid scene. Everything has a process and steps to get your goal. In all the worry I wasn't noticing the foundation I was building to get to my goals and the progress I was making.
There were signs of change everywhere that were going unnoticed. Progress photos were something I never paid much attention to but, just sent over to my coach as a requirement. When I hit a personal record for strength training or when cardio became easier I just added difficulty and kept pushing on autopilot. The looseness of my workout clothes was chucked up to the excessive washing because of my added workouts. I ignored all these things because I wasn't focusing on the process and progress but more the scale. Which in this case was the wrong thing to do (pro tip).
When I finally got over my mini meltdown and came back to reality I was able to notice all the right things. Not only did I start to trust the process of hard work; I fell in love with it. The change in my energy and strength alone fueled my motivation. Every step (literally and metaphorically) got me closer to goal of becoming a professional figure competitor. So I started to celebrate the process, every cardio session completed, training session with my coach, group posing session, meal prep pretty much any and everything. Seriously everyday was a party (even on the low carb days).
That's what the sometimes cryptic saying "trust the process" means to me. Knowing that the journey will be difficult, I will struggle, have challenges, and feel like I'm taking steps backward. All the while still progressing. Celebrating when I overcome challenges (even if they're just in my head) and trust that I will reach my goals.
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