A lesson on "the process"

I knew before the close of 2017 that my personal life theme for 2018 was ‘Decisions.’ I kept seeing the word everywhere and felt deeply the universe was lining up the message to “stop letting life just happen to me and decide what I wanted to make happen in my life.” Since the year has started, I have certainly been more intentional about my decisions and equally attentive to the consequences when I am not intentional.

"This means holding myself accountable for the outcome that I contributed to and searching the ways I could make more sound decisions in the future."

For me, especially (and I’m sure some of you too,) at times it’s my actual decisions that need evaluation and other times it’s the lack of actually making a decision.

In the ever changing season as 2018 progresses I have heard “patience” & the phrase “the process,” more times than I would have liked and more than I can count. Perhaps it’s because I fall in the millennial group of “figuring it out,” “making it work,” and “praising in the wilderness.” Those of us transitioning from college to professional careers, building families and starting business’ clinging to the hope of believing that the trials and turmoil, discomfort & parch circumstances won’t last always. It’s annoying, honestly. Sometimes the encouragement is almost an insult to your frustration. It is however still undeniably useful. It is, believe it or not, “a process” that has to be trusted. There are many moments in my short 26 year old life that I’ve legit said: “Lord wassup cuz at this point you out here doing and putting me through anything.” I can also say for every one of those moments God has also proven the necessity of its discomfort. Certainly, not immediately, but at some point.

So what we gain from this “Super Sole Series” blurb of thought is that intention must be behind the actions we take for our lives but the same amount of energy must be given to patience when the fruit of those intentions are manifesting.

Today, here in Arusha, I went to visit Massai market, an array of stands and tables with souvenirs, jewelry, bags and carvings with a friend looking to purchase a sculpture for a wedding gift. After we arrived we walked through a small passage way leading to behind the building where a row of men were sanding and sculpting different pieces of art. It wasn’t too glamorous, not a lotta space. I looked up and saw a black and white unidentifiable spider, that was extremely small but intimidatingly moving (what I’m gonna call) fangs. I kept my eye on it, while still observing all the elements of the environment. I looked further up in the tree above us and saw a swarm of bees, actively buzzing in and out of a wooden homemade birdhouse somehow secured in the branches. For a second a little bit of me felt fear. The environment was calm and yet active with work, and no one else seemed in the slightest concerned about the small disarming details that were foreign to me but quite familiar to them. I looked down at the pile of sculptures lined against the wall, and concluded they were the defects.

And spirit quickly said to me “all of them won’t make it.” Here this man was working hard at one sculpture sanding it down meticulously and I thought for this one beautiful sculpture there were many, skillfully carved and sanded and still would not make it for purchase. This too was an intricate process. A vision for a product, obtaining the materials, and manipulating them to become what was originally envisioned. In that process some things go wrong, a cut may be made today, wood may prove to be defected before completion and a myriad of other issues could arise counting that once promising piece no good. Such. Is. With. Life. We have many projects, endeavors, and life changes that start off promising, with excitement and our intent on success. Somewhere along the line something changes, that alters our plans and that original piece can no longer be what we hoped for it.

When I walked up and saw how many defected pieces would sit there unknown, and uncherished I thought how easy it would be to think there is no good from them. Spirit quickly returned reminding of the skill that was acquired in making even the defects. The knowledge of what to do and not to do when creating pieces like that because of knowing what can make it go wrong. Above all it was reinforced that “Some won’t make it.”

"There are gifts and ideas in us to change the world."

Every one of them won’t be the best seller, or the top 100, or the most used world wide. Some of them like that pile of defects will sit somewhere with dust, and have the potential to haunt your progress with what you didn’t accomplish. Don’t let it. Let the act of even bringing your ideas to fruition be a triumph not just a ‘try.’

It meant something to get them from your heart and mind to this side no matter how small or large it was. I opened with the necessity of intent and making decisions, to close with the somewhat redundant and efficient encouragement “trust the process.” In the midst of the famed process it must be a priority to walk into the act of releasing your gifts with the intentional decision of following through. I have traveled to many places, met many beautiful, and have a rather dynamic resume to say the least. However, because of my financial status I rarely (read ever) feel accomplished for the things I’ve done and places I’ve been. I’m actively working on silencing the voice of inadequacy and I pray this short does the same for you. Complacency and contentment are not the same. We can give ourselves the grace to affirm & acknowledge where we’ve been and what it taught us without being stagnant in our growth.

"Accept how it shaped you, and use that to serve you where you are now."

Much like these discarded trial an error carvings, the elements around you are different and the elements that you’ve been in have changed you differently.

Abstract as this message may seem, what I want you to take away is you start masterpieces with intentional decisions, and you complete them with patience and follow through. What you’ve produced, good and bad, complete and incomplete is a beneficial contribution to your process. Be grateful for the shaping however & wherever it took place. Even be grateful for the masterpieces started that didn’t work. Be gentle with yourself, and keep working.