Why is it so difficult to trust the process?

A post-travelling monologue

A lot of travelling is about trust. You trust the bus driver who is taking you across the border to remember his passport. You trust the friendly German man who offers to put your rucksack in the boot to do it, so you don’t spend the next three hours hoping that he did. When you’re told to arrive at the airport one hour early, you trust that it’s enough time and you trust your new friends to become guardians of your secrets and your stories—sometimes ones you haven’t even shared with your loved ones at home.

And for the most part, it’s so easy. You jump on the bus and make your merry way across the border. Your bag makes it in one piece, you still have 55 minutes to kill at the airport and you wave goodbye to your new pals with full confidence that they’ll take care of your story.

So why, when it can be so easy to put our trust in certain things and people, is it so difficult to trust that the right job will come along, the right person will come along at the right time, the right flat? So difficult it is to trust in this, it becomes almost impossible and I know I harp on about trusting the process, so much so that I have considered getting it tattooed on my forehead, but why is it so hard?

It’s a question I’ve asked myself a lot over the last few weeks when everyone has promised me that good things are on the horizon and everything’s going to fall into place and I’m hopeful that I’ve figured it out.

You see, no matter how much we fight it, we are all micromanagers of our lives. How could we possibly hand over the reins to someone or something else when we can drive ourselves crazy over the most minuscule details and signs from the universe? Where’s the fun in that?

But, I think, as hard as it is, it’s time to at least try and let go. After all, no one likes a micromanager and according to Psychology Today, it stifles creativity, dampens motivation and reduces productivity—all of which are necessary to believe that something better is on the horizon.

Although micromanaging isn’t the answer, I am a firm believer that you do create your own destiny, so you need to strike a balance between doing what needs to be done in order to make things happen, while also letting things run their course.

Maybe that’s why it all feels so difficult. There is no immediate answer and most of the time, it’s a long old game. That’s probably why it’s easier when you’re away. Things happen pretty quickly, bus journeys last a few hours and the plane eventually takes off. So, back home, we can feel as though we’re in a waiting room, kicking our heels for things to get going.

I hate to break it to you, and it’s something I often fail to acknowledge, but things have already started and the pause button ain’t working, so embrace it, enjoy it and make the very most of it.