Day 307 - Trust the Process?

August 11, 2024

The Misunderstood Phrase: Guy challenges the overuse and misuse of the phrase "trust the process." The Olympic Analogy: While the phrase is often associated with success, Guy questions its applicability to everyone, especially without a clear process in place. The Philadelphia 76ers Example: Guy uses the Philadelphia 76ers and their coach, Sam Hinkie, as a cautionary tale, highlighting the potential pitfalls of blindly trusting a process. Defining the Process: Guy emphasizes the importance of understanding and defining a process before trusting it. A Call for Action: Guy suggests replacing "trust the process" with "try the process" for a more practical approach. The 90-Day Experiment: Guy recommends testing a process for 90 days before making a commitment to it. Call to Action: Encourage listeners to critically evaluate the processes they are following. Promote experimentation and adaptability in pursuing goals. Avoid blindly trusting advice or trends without understanding the underlying principles. Target Audience: Individuals seeking personal growth and self-improvement People interested in critical thinking and problem-solving Those who are skeptical of popular catchphrases and trends

Episode Transcript

Guy Reams (00:03.304)
Day 307, trust the process. I was watching the woman's 400 meter relay and heard one of the announcers say, she really learned to just trust the process. He seemed to indicate that this was her reason for success. I will grant that claim, I suppose, but what is the process? I imagine for an Olympic athlete, there is a well -defined process that is created for the team.

for each athlete and this is probably well prescribed or at least I hope it is. I imagine that winning teams all have this characteristic, but what about the rest of us? This phrase, trust the process has become popular these days. I saw someone in a hotel lobby with a black t -shirt with this phrase in white letters. After looking around, it seems that this phrase became popular.

with the Philadelphia 76ers and their coach Sam Hincky. This was a few years ago. If that is the origin of this phrase, then it's pretty hilarious because the process did not seem to work all that well. Sam Hincky did not have successful coaching career with the 76ers. Well, I guess you can consider his number one draft pick at the Got One era success. That's rather funny too, because the draft pick gave himself the nickname, The Process.

Whatever the origin, people seem to like this phrase. I have heard it in business settings as well. Don't worry, you will get some sales. You just need to trust the process. Just as with Hincky and the 76ers, it is easy to hide behind the supposed process. But really, what exactly is the process? What do you do when you do not know the process, understand the process, or even have a process to follow?

Do you still trust the process even though there is no process? It seems that this is what people are asking us to do most of the time. After some contemplation, I think this phase would be better stated as try the process. Try the process for 90 days. That is probably more appropriate. Identify a process you think will get the results that you want, then try following this process for 90 days.

Guy Reams (02:32.346)
If you like the result, continue. If you do not, then try a new process.