As a young child, I would spend summers with my grandparents. My grandfather was always saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes one young, healthy, and wise.” We would eat breakfast at 5:30 a.m., and we had to be in the house when the streetlights came on. Fortunately, the days were long!
My grandfather was a carpenter by trade—though I didn’t inherit any of his talent. He would have us working in his shop, tinkering with whatever was in the garage as a summer project. Because I lacked ability—and would have much rather been playing baseball—I often found these projects boring. Many of the things we made weren't the prettiest or the most functional.
But what he really taught me was to trust the process. He showed me how to think about the outcome and then figure out a solution. I learned to pause before starting a project, to first think about: What am I trying to do? What do I have to work with? Most importantly, he taught me to ask questions and not be afraid to ask for help.
Over the years, I've had to remind myself of that lesson—to trust the process. I am happy to say that I learned it long before Yoda said it in The Empire Strikes Back.