Trust the process

 

I am a control freak. There, I said it. Are you happy? I finally have come to terms with the fact that I want control, love control, and relax when I am in control. It really has been one of my most difficult traits, and I have had to learn to adjust it. Not let go of it completely, but adjust it.

I’ve always been the type of person who plants a seed and then messes with it until it’s damaged. And then I see that I’ve caused the growth to slow down or worse, to never grow at all, just from my interference.

I have learned over time that once you plant a seed, you have to let it go. It will flourish on its own when the time is right. Trying to control or fast forward an outcome is dangerous. Not only can you damage the outcome, but you may miss out on an important part of the developmental stage. Often times, it is in the developmental stage that the “break-through” moments appear.

Every destination comes with a journey. Every journey involves a process. Trying to rush things or control the outcome is a surefire way to end up with damaged goods. I have finally learned that the process is not within my control. And I have had to let it go and trust it.

It is still not an easy thing, but it’s nice to know that the uncertainty the process brings will eventually lead to the ultimate goal. It gives my mind a comfort and more settled feeling when I accept that the process will introduce me to things I didn’t know before I started. So, let it go and trust the process.

 

 

Ask and you shall receive…not always true, but you still have to ask, what if?

Back when I was preparing to open our first business, a coffee & ice cream shop, I spent a lot of time researching the industry as well as building my mind muscle. I read numerous motivational books and attended several business workshops. One of the books that I read and relied on for inspiration was The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. To this day, it remains one of my favorite books.

In the forward of the book, there was a message that asked for readers to help spread their message. After reading it, I decided that I wanted to help. I wrote to the company and asked them for 100 free books so that I could give them away at the grand opening of my new business. I had planned a big grand opening event (any excuse for a party!), and I wanted to entice the first 100 visitors with freebies.

I ordered all kinds of things to give away. As it got closer to the big day, the shipments were piling in our garage. The boxes arriving were small to medium in size, but unfortunately, nothing big enough for 100 books. No big deal, the planning and organizing continued.

Every day I would go through a few of the boxes and begin to organize the supplies. After a couple of weeks, I was opening the remainder of the boxes and to my surprise, one of the medium sized boxes contained 100 condensed versions of The Power of Positive Thinking! I could not believe it!

That was a lesson I will never forget. I gave away all the books, except for one. I kept one for myself and have it displayed on top of my bookcase facing my desk to serve as a reminder to never be afraid to ask for something. It isn’t up to us to decide how someone wants to answer our request. So go ahead and ask for it! Why the hell not?

 

Hi Nooner Show Friends,

Welcome to our blog, Why the hell not? Yeah, I’m serious, Why the hell not?

Once a month our team will publish a blog post regarding lessons and experiences we’ve taken from our own lives (and we have many!) or examples of something we have learned about. Our goal is that by sharing our stories and experiences, we will help you get the most out of life by overcoming many of the fears that hold you back as well.

One of the common experiences that we realized we have had as a team is that we complicate, hesitate, or altogether avoid decisions that are not in our safety zone.

If you are anything like we are, it seems like every decision we make towards accomplishing a goal is often joined by a mental struggle. Nora, Rocky, and I educate ourselves daily. All of us enjoy reading, watching documentaries, and studying the stories of successful people and survivors.

Yet, for some reason, we discovered that we keep thinking that those people are different. But are they really? What’s different? What’s their secret? Don’t they worry about failure? Or are they just smarter?

Let’s stop and think about it.

When you’re thinking of trying something new, ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? Will it really matter a year from now if it doesn’t work out?” It is really no more than learning to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Wouldn’t it be nice if our minds were wired to think of how things could work out if pursued? I know it is easier said than done, but look, we need to start somewhere. Every time we pass on something because of the conversations in our mind, we could be missing out on a huge opportunity. What if we’re just one decision away from a totally different life?

This new method of thinking is changing our lives. We aren’t there yet. It has been a work in progress. However, the baby steps of just approaching opportunities with a different mindset has led to some amazing adventures for us.

So let’s work on this together. Let’s start with one simple change. When a decision needs to be made that forces us to stretch beyond our comfort zone and those hesitating voices chime in, let’s challenge them with one sentence: This could go right and change everything. So give it a shot! Why the hell not?