Creatives are caught between two worlds: the visible and invisible. There is often external pressure to explain our compulsion to create and capture that which swims in our souls and imaginations. In an interior world of vibrant color and powerful presence, it is normal to experience discouragement when our actions and accomplishments do not match the potency of our expectations.
This is why my mantras to myself and other Unstoppable Writers includes,
Don’t discount small steps.
Celebrate every small step towards success.
We will never achieve all at once our soul’s vision, but we can take a small step towards it. When we approach our work with gratitude and a quick to celebrate spirit, we create a playfulness and joy around the work we get to do (not have to). The weight of our to-do list lifts as we realize how far we have come and how much we have accomplished, even if it is fewer or smaller steps than we had hoped.
Perhaps you did not finish your book on the deadline you had set for yourself – but, you know have an outline ready to take action on. Celebrate the outline.
Perhaps you did not complete 50,000 during NaNoWriMo – but you did write the first three chapters of your book. Celebrate the three chapters.
We are far harder on ourselves than on anyone else.
What steps are you celebrating today?