Up and Up
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
It may be intimidating to take on that first step when you look at the big picture of your goal as the end-result more than the journey required to get there. It would be a costly mistake for an aspiring artist to expect the beginnings of his or her work to be comparable to the great artists who’ve been long revered despite the passing of time.
Great artists who’ve proven their art to be invaluable regardless of modern trends and advancements in technology once had a moment in which they took their first step. The beautiful aspect of taking that first step is rooted in Newton’s first law of motion which states: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Of course we have will have obstacles that will prove to be the “unbalanced forces” that will try to hinder our journey. However, it’s much easier to gain momentum when you’ve begun that first step. Every step afterwards becomes easier to take as we gain experience and strength through establishing a routine of moving forward.
A routine allows for flow and familiarity. If one were to commit 2 hours, 1 day a week to a hobby, there wouldn’t be much momentum gained because there’s been a stop for 6 days. Too much time given to rest during the week prevents one from making substantial development. It would be far better to break up those 2 hours into 30 minutes a day over 4 days a week, so that consistency and frequency keep things moving forward.
With 2016 just around the corner, many people have hopes and aspirations to make life changes through New Year’s resolutions. Most people fail in making these changes sustain because they usually try to do too much at once. Making a step forward to improve in one aspect will make it easier to develop in the next. Instead of doing six new things starting at the beginning of the year, try one new thing on January 1st.
If the set goal from January has momentum and has been successful, then it’s possible to make another improvement beginning on February 1st. In this way, the whole year can be a process of self-improvement instead of putting all the pressure to be a completely new person in one day.
It’s not easy to be patient when you want to make big life changes. However, slow and steady win the race and better prepare us to avoid burning out. Every life change is going to be a big task in itself. Additionally, mistakes and steps backwards shouldn’t allow us to become too disheartened. Were human; we make mistakes. Being able to pick yourself up, moving forward, and roll with the punches will allow for quality of life to keep going up and up.
For related reading on development, please check out: Room for Growth.
