You Can't Stay a Caterpillar Forever
I've always been too hard on myself. I see what I don't do and not what I have achieved. I see what I can't do and not what I have done. As I sweep the garage on a breezy Fall day, I notice the dirt on the floor, the cobwebs in the corner.
I brainstorm and think and ponder as the broom makes that straw sound against the concrete into the dustpan. I notice that I want to see in reality what I visualize in my head. It's not looking like that. Its not here yet, but it will be. I have to be...
1. Patient
You must accept that your life is your life, before you can make changes. Accept that the garage floor needs to be swept. If you ignore it, it won't go away. The dirt will sit there for another day. Once you accept that your life is what it is, then you can do what you need to do to alter it.
If you visualize a different world, write that down. What changes can you make? What little tiny steps can you take? Each sweep, as odd as it sounds, each sweep of the garage, dirt goes into the lobby dust pan. Each time I move the broom left, right, back, forward and here that scratching sound as it echos, dirt is removed from the floor. I may not notice but, I am making...
2. Progress
It doesn't matter at what level or at what speed you are making progress. If you are making progress, you are making progress. The garage is a metaphor but it is also happening right now. As I sweep I am making progress no matter how long it seems to take, no matter how much dirt, cobwebs are left on another wall or on the ceiling, as long as I...
3. Persist I will succeed, eventually. Stick with it. Even when the destination doesn't seem possible, notice little wins, little sections of the garage that are now clean. Notice two bags of trash by the door to be hauled away.
It's the journey that we generate, the moments that we feel, the dreams that we look forward to, the new experiences we never expected. It may look as though you are getting no where. That is negativity staring at the dirt on the floor when you could be looking at the clean spaces where the mulch sat, the organized sections in the corner, the dusted shelves.
Walk outside and breathe in the cool air. Notice the flowerbed you decorated with the mulch. Notice your work, your progress, your inner strength building inside as you enter the garage again, without breaking your leg. Today you didn't trip over the lawnmower and land in the cat bed. Today you walked into the garage and began cleaning more cobwebs.
It may look as though I am getting no where, but each sweep is one sweep toward the vision I hold in my head.
Take mental notes as you push your broom, as you take steps in the direction of your dreams. Notice each item checked off your list. Notice your energy and where you utilize it. Are making progress? Are you pondering? Are you taking action? Do you know where your broom is? Are you sweeping?
Stick to your goal. It gets tough. Keep going. If it were easy we wouldn't have to work so hard. We wouldn't have to figure out a way. But when you want something badly enough, you will find a way. You will sweep one more day. You will take steps that seemed like they were in the way.
All of your work, all those steps taken, all those sweeps swept, create your vision and one day maybe without you even noticing, you become a butterfly and your wings are clutter free.
4. Morph
You can't stay a caterpillar forever.