The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. My daughter started her senior year, got her driver's license, and is celebrating her birthday all within these first few days of school.
I've been watching her the past few nights as she stays up way beyond my late-night-limits (ahem... 8pm) and keeps on truckin' until her homework is done. I'm watching her get herself up early, feed herself, and drive (DRIVE!) herself to school.
And, I'm like... howwwwwww did this happen?
It seems like just a few minutes ago we were sitting down and sounding out letters. Or counting math problems on fingers. Or holding hands to help her cross the street to school.
I'm amazed by how much she knows. I'm also amazed at how much time, work, practice, and commitment it took to get to this place right here. It took minutes, hours, years of practice. Of course, now, looking back, I can see the changes, the growth. Of course, years later, I can see that all the time and energy was worth it.
I remember when she was learning to read and I so so so wanted her to love reading. So I bought her one of my favorite books, Little House On the Prairie. I remember reading to her at night and hoping that she'd fall in love with the book as much as I had. (She didn't.) And I remember trying the same thing with Harry Potter (that one fell flat too) and many others. Somewhere along the way, I gave up and decided to allow her to not love books. (Although, I always secretly hoped...)
Last night, as I went to bed, I looked through the courtyard and I could see her at the dining room table. She was reading. Head down. In it.
I thought of all those books that I tried to make her love. Of course that didn't work. But here she is, reading, learning, and doing her own thing on her own time line.
It's humbling, and it also reminds me to look at my own life and think about how many things I put off because I don't get an immediate payoff.
Sometimes it takes a lot longer to see the payoff of all the energy and practice and time that you put in. Sometimes you don't fall in love with the first book, or the second, or the 42nd. Sometimes it takes minutes, and weeks, and decades for it to click, for it to sink in. For it to really matter.
The only way to get what you really want is to take a small step. And then another. Anything worth having comes through small, steady steps.
So for your worthy work this week, I want you to think about what would happen if you just carved out a tiny bit of time for your personal development work.
Think about something that you might do. A a small thing once a day.
Now think about what would happen if you did this every day for a week. A month. A year. Ten years.
Check in with all Four Voices (Mind, Heart, Body and Soul):
Maybe you commit to something for your Mind (like reading great books). Maybe you commit to something for your Heart (like checking in with your emotions on a daily basis). Maybe you commit to something for your Body (like making sleep a priority). Or maybe you commit to something for your Soul (like finally giving yourself permission to live what wants to be lived through you.)
Try it for a day. And then, if you really want to change your life, do it the next day. And then next.