Progress

Henri Frederic Amiel said:

A thousand things advance; nine hundred and ninety-nine retreat; that is progress.

 I have some big projects in front of me. The kind that make you say things like "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it" when you start to get too far ahead of yourself. And,sometimes it's much easier to daydream about how life will be when you get all the projects done, than actually doing the work!

But, here I am! You need to take it one step at a time. Maybe do one little bit today and then a little bit tomorrow. Actually, my husband says I should spend two hours a day on one project and then two hours a day on the other big project. This seems like a good distribution of time and way to prioritize.

I am starting to make progress. Every little progress makes it easier to do the next part of the project, because, well, there is now less to be done (mathematically speaking). But, what do you do when motivation wanes. My favorite thing to do is have a cup of hot cocoa or play on the internet. However, that is not very helpful! I guess the best answer for the question is a timeline and scheduling your time (there goes the math again!). 

Say, "I have a goal and this is how much I need to get done every day to get my goal accomplished by the date I have set". Right now, my wishful thinking tells me that the work will be done well in advance of the set date. And, it may very well be. I have reinforcements on the way to push me to get more accomplished. That is helpful too-enlisting reinforcements or just good company to make tasks more enjoyable. 

Of course, I always must remember-in a few months I will hardly remember the hard work that had to be done (God willing).

 Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!

- Lewis Carroll

I'm a bit tired of being in the same place, so I better start running faster!

Not today, Honey.

Do you ever feel like you are living a mantra from a book by Dr Seuss. I feel that way today. I should be saying, "Today is my day", but instead, I feel like sleeping the day away. That could partially be due to the fact that I'm sick, but I still feel like I should get something accomplished.

Anyway, thought it would be a good time to discuss procrastination. Here is a great Spanish proverb:

Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the year.

I am headed for one very busy day pretty soon if that is true! I cannot even begin to write down my to do list because it is so overwhelming. So, I am at "baby steps". The problem with "baby steps" is that it just doesn't seem like enough for me. I guess that is why I end up doing nothing at all. Way to be productive! And I believe I know my problem. I don't know how much I can reasonably get done, so I don't get started.

Johann von Goethe said:

The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection.

Ouch! I am pretty far from perfection. Maybe I don't like how much I feel I will be able to accomplish. I would like to accomplish much more. But, when you don't feel well, you just don't have the energy. I have a hard time telling myself that it is okay to just be sick and rest and get better.
At any rate, Edgar Watson Howe said:

Half the unhappiness in the world is due to the failure of plans which were never reasonable, and often impossible.

So, I will try to be reasonable. I can accomplish a Latte, my kid's dance class tonight, maybe a quick sweep of the house, and my blog. Then I shall call it a day! And, I will be happy, because I have been reasonable, not impossible. Or something like that.

Change

Miriam Schiff said:

On the human chessboard, all moves are possible.

This gives me hope. Sometimes, I can't figure out how to make the move, but it is encouraging to know that the move can be made. I'm endlessly trying to figure out how things work and how to improve processes. I feel now more than ever that you must have some ability to think outside the box to be successful in this world, or even just to stay relevant.
I recently read a quote regarding looking for a job that stated : employers are not looking for someone that can just do the job, they want someone that will reinvent the job. Now, I misquidedly took this advice to heart at a recent job attempt. The office seemed to encourage me to make changes, but really they wanted things to stay the same. However, I think at the right opportunity, employers do want someone that is creative and tries to improve the business as much as they can.

Continuity gives us roots; Change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.

                                -Pauline R Kezer

I think we all have to continually change and increase our knowledge to be the best people we can be. The better we are able to adapt to the changes that are put before us, the more likely we will be to be successful and happy in our environment.

And, always remember, as Ralph Waldo Emerson put it:

We change whether we like it or not.

Let's hope that the changes we make are always for the better.  .  

Could Be Worse

Jack Benny once said: 

I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.

Sometimes, things happen to us that we don't deserve. And for most of us, in the midst of it, we wonder why it is happening to us and think absolutely nothing could be worse. I even feel this way sometimes. And, then, Oh No! You find out how you were wrong! It can always be worse! Hopefully, you find out empathetically rather than it actually happening to you.

It usually makes good sense to try to put everything into perspective. Or, see circumstances relative to what other people are going through. You know the old adage: what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger. Well, there you have it! Other people may die by what you are going through, so, lucky you! You have been made stronger!
The only problem is, new things happen to us and we are only as good as our ability to eventually see past it. I have had situations in the past that really stressed me out. I hoped that one day, I would not be as stressed out when similar occurences happened in the future. And, for the most part, I believe I have mellowed a bit and don't react as strongly to adversity as I did in the past. That is one of the few great things about getting older and wiser. You actually see that things could be worse, so you don't react as strongly.
Make it a point to try and see past trials and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Because, it is always there, but it may just be a long tunnel.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

- Oscar Wilde

Ambition

Friedrich Nietzsche said:

Either you reach a higher point today, or you exercise your strength in order to be able to climb higher tomorrow.

Now, it has been a while since I have encountered the name Machiavelli, but the next quote that struck me was by Machiavelli. So, I quickly consulted my friend, Wikipedia, to refresh my memory. I remembered that he wrote "the Prince", of course, but could not remember why it was so significant at the time. I was surprised to find out in my reading that earlier in his life, he was a prominent political figure and later in life, he mostly wrote. He wrote both fiction (even some comedy) and political related works (his attempt to remain in politics).
Anyway, to the point, Machiavelli rejected Christian principles of modesty and virtue. He believed in providence and even saw "ambition, spiritedness, and the pursuit of glory as good and natural things, and part of the virtue and prudence that good princes should have"
Amazingly, in reading, I discovered that a lot of the principles of government he advocated are still true today.
Thankful to the important people who have gone before that believed in ambition and spiritedness, because without them, we may not have the gratification of pursuing our ambitions freely.

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.

- Niccolo Machiavelli

Oh, and keep on dreaming and working towards a higher goal.

Unhappy People

Bertrand Russell said:

Whenever one finds oneself inclined to bitterness, it is a sign of emotional failure.

I like that line of thinking. It makes me realize that the bitter person is the crazy one, not you. It is not emotionally healthy to constantly be finding fault in others. I would much rather find the good in people, anyway.

Simone Weil said:

Those who are unhappy have no need for anything in this world but people capable of giving them their attention.

This is advice that could have served me well earlier in life. Even my five year old knows to ignore "not nice" people. Why dignify someone that clearly cannot find reason within themselves to be content in life?

And on a final note, Charles J. Ingersoll stated:    

Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. In the examination of a great and important question, every one should be serene, slow-pulsed, and calm.

 I like that one. Anger makes you dumb. I couldn't agree more! So, stay calm, and don;t let anger or unhappiness be your trademark or people won't be able to take you seriously.

Refill, please.

Helen Keller said:

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.

 I've been giving thought to the old glass half empty/glass half full debate and decided that it made no sense, because if your glass is only half full/empty, you could just ask for a refill. So, being pessimistic just does not pay off. It is really just based on the premise that you are too cowardly to ask for what you believe you deserve.

Vincent van Gogh said:

Great things are not something accidental, but must certainly be willed.

This type of thinking is probably why Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists. He never made money on his work during his lifetime and he lost an ear along the way, but he still believed that he was doing something great. He willed himself to be regarded as an important artist.

Colleen C. Barrett proclaimed:

Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.

So, I'm going to end the glass half full debate by saying, that your attitude matters. We can all stand to be a little more positive. And, when you can't, just go get a refill of "positivity".