The struggle makes it worth it

Imagine an activity where you can win very easily – like if you played Scrabble with first graders. When you win, does it have value and improve your self-esteem?  

Now imagine a challenge that is tough, takes a lot of what you’ve got, and goes on for months or years; imagine fighting that one. It’s maybe…like the struggle you have right now.

It’s the struggle that makes us, even if we don’t win.  

We get better and stronger by struggling.

Complete this sentence –

“My greatest strength is ____________________________”

Most of your creative work is crap

That’s ok.  That’s why it’s called creative work.  It’s like a half developed photograph, or a partially built sculpture.  Keep working on it.  Even stuff you thought was “finished,” isn’t.

It’s like an iceberg. All your not so good work is under that waterline – holding up the percentage of finished work you finally put out to the world.

Keep working!

Pleasing Everybody

That’s not going to happen.  There will be people who give unfair commentary because they want to build themselves up by tearing someone else down.  And people who aren’t face to face with you – on the internet or gossiping to each other have looser lips.  Ignore them.

“The trick is not caring what EVERYBODY thinks of you, and just caring about what the RIGHT people think of you.”  – Brian Michael Bendis

When we go away, we get to come back.

Living in the box of a small world – a triangle between home and work and the mall, is going to limit our world view and our inspiration.

Go away for a while every now and then.  Experience new places and new things. When we come back, we are different, and so is that triangle.

Are you a master of something?

Great!  Congratulations!  

Now go be an amateur and learn something new.

"I thought I was the only one…"

No, you’re not.  There’s nothing wrong with you.

Work through it, strive to improve, and go out there and give your best today.

You’re doing great!

Obituaries are written before we're dead

What they say about you depends on what you are doing and who you are being right now.

Right?

One day at a time

If we have a huge job or challenge that will take a long time (like being successful, or learning something really well), forget about years. Forget about months. And weeks are man-made; forget about them too.

One year – xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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One Month – xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

One Week – xxxxxxx

One Day – x  (you can handle this)

The sun goes up, and the sun goes down. That’s a day. We can get our head around a day. Do your best today. One day at a time.

Indifference

If we are mild, and lukewarm about things, we don’t have the fire to climb the mountain.  

We have to have some strong feelings about something. Be bold – out of inspiration or desperation.

Learn to put all you’ve got into everything you do. It will quickly reveal results or reveal that you need to go in a different direction.

What do you feel strongly about?