One Step at a Time

I receive a daily inspiration from a gentleman named Jeff... I'll tell you more about him in a minute...first read today's entry...

“A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.”

- Confucius

I lament how many times I have seen people repeatedly postpone starting a project, claiming that they are simply gathering their ducks in a row. Many of these people refuse to answer the starting bell so many times that they become tone deaf and after a while don’t even hear it anymore. Even more disturbing is the fact that often times that person has been me.

What makes us paralyzed when facing an important project, one that is perhaps even the major objective of our lives? For some it is a fear of failure, for others, paradoxically, a fear of success. I think the biggest reason, however, is that within our busy lives, digging into a behemoth of a goal just looks like too daunting a task this week, maybe next week it will look smaller. Does it ever get smaller? No, usually it begins to grow in weight on our shoulders as we realize that we have done nothing toward our major objective. If this keeps up long enough, we either give up the goal, or we shove it to the back of our minds where it won’t bother us and we kid ourselves that we will get to it soon.

What can we do to stop putting off the most important thing we must do? The short answer is to dive in and merely get some momentum going. You might not know what the hell you are doing, but you will at least be in the water dog paddling until you figure out how to swim. If we don’t, we are likely to stand at the edge of the pool forever. Knowing that this project is not going to get done by next week or even next month, break the project down into small, bite size pieces and dive in. You might need to wander around in the dark for a while until you get your bearings, but at least you’ll be wandering. Once you are on the journey, you’ll get your compass straight, and those baby steps will soon start adding up. You’ll get some confidence and momentum going, and those monstrous thousand leagues will begin shrinking.

Jeff Young
www.friendsofjeff.com

It is so easy for me to be overwhelmed by the things that are placed before me in life. My creative mind wants to take giant leaps and bounds to the end product or endeavor and then backpedal to the place I should begin. It's quite the effort to train or re-train my mind to find focus and then begin to channel my energies. There are a lot of things that go undone because I lose my focus and energy because I get lost 'out there' somewhere in the infinite possibilities. I tend to be a procrastinator because of this. The same truth continues to find me, though...everything gets accomplished...one baby step at a time. And to start, I must get up out of my chair and BEGIN; get out of my mind and move my body.

Right now there are quite a few things that are lined up that I feel a bit overwhelmed by...

My Photoshop has been down for months and I finally got it back online this weekend. I'm very excited about this, but was immediately overwhelmed by the volume of pictures I will need to edit. And so I will start...one picture at a time.

I'm going to walk a marathon in October. I was very excited about this feat...this endeavor I'd never considered before. There's a lot more to it for me than just saying that I've walked a marathon...it holds in it some freedoms for me... but anyway, I'm struggling with it because I took a walk the other day and I'm walking a 20 minute mile (just a teensie bit out of shape!). The group I will be walking with hopes to walk it in 6 hours...which means I must shave 5 minutes off my mile! THIS IS HUGE! But the only way I'm going to wittle down the HUGE...is one day/one walk at a time. In time my endurance will increase and I can look a 15 minute mile in the face without blinking. And I'll successfully walk a 26 mile marathon in October...right before my 35th b-day, too. It will be an extra grand celebration for me. :) One walk at a time...

I have had the desire to write a book for many years. I believe with this, there will also be some freedoms found for me, but a book is only realized one page at a time... I've been writing and rambling for a while, but without much focus or direction. As time ensues, I'm given nuggets here and there that help me gain my focus. I don't have a deadline set for writing this book. I have a thousand ideas, but I believe in time, with my little collection of nuggets over time, will produce some good fruits. The secret...is writing...one day at a time. One page at a time...

Patience and perseverence... are my words for the day. : )

So...please visit http://www.friendsofjeff.com/ and sign up for his inspirational email. Read about him on his website...you will truly be inspired. He lives 24 years after a diagnosis that gave him 3-5 years to live...a true testament to will being greater than circumstances. Good stuff!