This morning, I woke up to snow covering every inch of the ground outside. For most parts of the northern U.S., a couple of inches of snow would just be pretty, but for Alabama, it shuts us down for the day. We aren't used to this!
While my day is on pause, I thought I'd ask, "What does it take to put your life on pause?" Do you keep pushing forward no matter what, or are you derailed by the slightest problem or convenient excuse?
Each day is a journey, and each step is a step forward--no matter how small. While not every day can be productive, the productive days should far outnumber the neutral ones we coast through.
I'm coming off of a busy week of travel and speaking in another state for a few days. Today, I had plans to do another show, work on developing a new presentation, write a chapter on my latest book, and have dinner with some friends. Then I woke up to the snow and realized my day had changed. The show was postponed, and there will probably be a raincheck on dinner, but the opportunity is still there to work on my presentation and book (and a blog post, obviously).
As I write this, I stare outside at a beautiful snow-covered winter wonderland. I'll definitely go back outside and play in it some more (one day of snow a year in Alabama makes this a special time), but the temptation is real to throw all my plans away and just coast. But for me, that just makes it a little easier to coast tomorrow as well. Then, before you know it, I'm a week behind. Do that long enough, and you'll feel so frustrated you won't want to start again.
I'm all for playing hooky now and then, and I'm huge on taking the time to celebrate wins, but those should be the special moments and treats for ourselves, not the regular routine.
Don't let one little setback stall you indefinitely. If you've got big plans, keep them in front of you and let them motivate you to keep pushing forward, even when you have every reason not to.
Remember: every step forward--no matter how small--is progress!
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