Are we there yet?
Inspirational stories...don't we just love them? Stories that give us hope and direction...like this one from @BrentO. It's no Chicken Soup for the Soul but it gives you a glimpse of how it is and how it feels to get there.
"Get where?", you ask. There. That place where dreams are.
It gets frustrating sometimes to hear ourselves saying...
I don't know that.
I haven't tried it.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
I have never heard of it.
That sounds familiar but I'm not sure.
I've never really set one up.
I kinda know the concept but...I'd have to review how to do that.
Wouldn't it be just nice to say...I know.
Reading inspirational stories give you that feeling of "Yes, I can do it too." But then you go back to your daily grind, you look at your goals, and you realize, man, you still have a long way to go. And it's frustrating.
I remember a conversation I had once with some family friends. I asked, "How do I make sure I don't get caught for speeding?" One advised never to drive more than 5 mph over. Another said slow down if I see a suspiciously-cop-looking car. My brother-in-law said just always make sure the driver of the car in front of me is driving just as fast or faster.
Then finally, my 10-year old niece said, "Aunt Janice, if you drive the speed limit, I don't think you'll get caught." And we all laughed.
But it's not funny, isn't it? Because truth is, there shouldn't be a way "around" things. Getting "there" takes time. And just like driving, sometimes we all wish we had left earlier.
We all have moments like this...of self-doubt, of impatience, of thinking, "man, I wish I started this a long time ago!".
When I told my bestfriend this, she said that my problem's I keep focusing on how far I still have to go to get to my destination. She said that sometimes, I need to look back instead and see how far I've come. She said pause and give yourself some credit.
This is not an inspirational story for I don't seek to inspire. If you're reading this though and you get it, I just wanted you to know, you're not alone.
July 8th, 2010 - 14:33
HAHAHA, I like how your niece thinks. And yes, I drive the speed limit too – it’s not glamorous, but I get there.
Although I did recently get busted for making a right turn from the left lane. In front of a police officer. (sigh)
July 8th, 2010 - 15:11
I have a soft spot for these kind of posts. Nice job. I think your friend had some great advice with “She said that sometimes, I need to look back instead and see how far I’ve come. She said pause and give yourself some credit. Then carry on.”
Looking forward with hope/optimism is great but… I often get discouraged if I look forward. I find that when I look down at where I am going at that moment more makes it easiest. Then when I do steal a quick glance back, I see I’ve gone a lot further than I thought I would have.
I have a future I’d like to attain in a lot of departments including career, I definitely am not anywhere near that goal but wow… I’m so far from where I started!
Careful study and remembrance of where you started out will amaze you also, I bet
July 8th, 2010 - 15:48
Thanks, Mike! For the comment and for the RT
That *really* makes me feel good and yeah, inspired.
July 16th, 2010 - 12:20
I don’t know how you can say “this is not an inspirational story” …
I love the way you write, and yes, this post is very inspiring. Refreshing. And an eye opener – in this day and time where everything is fast paced and “instant”, we all need to re-learn that things take time to grow and bloom.
Great stuff!
July 20th, 2010 - 23:32
Great Post Janice. I get it and know exactly how you feel.
September 2nd, 2010 - 15:11
This is a “late” comment. I have read this when this was posted but I am re-reading it.
I am again in that point where I am trying to ask myself “where am I” with regards to my career goals. I have changed my mind a lot before – probably that is the reason why I haven’t gotten far from the beginning, which also means that I am *still* at the bay – so far from where I want be. The sad thing is, when I paused and looked back, I am still standing where I started.
September 2nd, 2010 - 15:55
Marlon, I don’t want to seem like I’m stalking you…but I do know for a fact that you just started a new website a few months ago. Hey, that’s one thing that wasn’t there when you started, right?
Thanks for re-reading!
September 2nd, 2010 - 16:03
I was sharing my testimony at church once and I was also giving a talk on “assurance” or the concept of knowing you have changed. I went off on a tangent and talked about snow… We have plenty of it in the winter where I live.
When it starts, if you were to sit out on the back yard in a lawn chair and watch it… It may not look like a lot.. If you went inside, waited a couple hours and then went out, you’d be amazed at the amount for a large storm..
It is when you are watching and hyper focused on “where am I? What have I done? Am I there yet?” that you miss how far you’ve gone.
In fact during that message I started remembering back to what I was like just a few years ago before believing and I remember muttering something like “wow.. I guess I have come along way” and I was surprised at where I was brought in those few years. I never really noticed it before because I was either in day to day mode or I was looking at where other people were and was bummed that I wasn’t there.
Same thing in my career or any pursuit. Are you really where you started? Janice mentioned your blog with some great productivity content. And how far do you expect to move in a few months? Widen your lens a bit and zoom out.. What were you doing 1 year ago? 3? 5? What did you know? How effective were you? How helpful were you to others? Look at where you are now… I bet you haven’t moved backwards…
September 3rd, 2010 - 16:11
Mike,
Sniff, sniff. This sure hits home. Thanks for sharing.
November 24th, 2010 - 11:52
Hi Janice,
Very, very cool post.
At the PASS Summit recently, some people asked if I was ready for one of my presentations. I replied “I’ve never delivered this one in public before – I’m scared and nervous.” They looked shocked and said “But you’re Andy Leonard!” I had to tell them “I’ve been stuck in here with Andy Leonard for 47 years. I’m not impressed.”
I get the concept of “there” but I don’t think of myself as there yet. The journey is truly the goal, and we’re both on this journey. You nailed it when you inferred that I merely started before you. My journey will likely end before yours as well. It’s part of the cycle.
You may think I’m “there” when it comes to some subject or technology. I don’t feel that way. I’m learning new stuff every day, thankfully.
It’s a cliche, I know, but keep doing what you’re doing. You’re always ahead of someone in the journey and always behind someone else. Being ahead of someone doesn’t make you better than them; being behind doesn’t make you worse.
The Owner of the path designed it thus. Enjoy the journey!
:{>
November 25th, 2010 - 10:44
Andy, yeah, I am one of those who do think you’re there. Thanks so much for the encouragement.