Have you ever been fired up to start something... only to get deeper into it, and realize –
Uh oh. This is much bigger and more challenging than I thought it’d be…
And the road looks MUCH longer than I imagined.
In moments like this, it can be tempting to despair… particularly in the early stages, when it’s not clear whether your efforts are amounting to anything.
A lot of my favorite self-help --- errrr--- *inspirational* writers talk about the importance keeping your "big why" front of mind. And I’d agree, because if you don’t have a really good reason to show up week after week when progress feels glacial and practice feels like a grind, sooner or later you're likely to give up.
But I have to admit that when it comes to staying the course, I tend to need more immediate gratification. ESPECIALLY the days when on paper, it looks like I’m getting nowhere.
Thankfully, immediate gratification is always available if I pay enough attention.
When I’m working towards something big, it’s the small joys that keep me going.
Like laughing with my classmates in German class when we each make the same mistake three times in row. Admiring my boss’s way with words when we’re hashing out a project proposal. The fragrance of a candle and my morning coffee when I’m at my desk at 6 am wrangling a reluctant lyric. Even in a moment of sheer frustration, I can pause and be amazed at the sense of aliveness from feeling my emotions.
Intentionally noticing these little delights makes everything a lot more fun, particularly on days when you're questioning whether you’ll ever “get there”.
Count any tiny beautiful moment that you're having because you signed up for the long haul.
Immediate gratification is always available!
Love,
Kate
PS – My new single “Space Between My Hands” is live on your favorite listening platform! Check it out here. And if you know anyone who might enjoy this song, I’d be honored if you’d share it with them 💜