Hello from a slightly-less-stressed author!
The good news is that the chaos has settled to within acceptable normal limits and my brain cells are talking to each other once again.
Phew!
But I have to say that in the middle the worst of it, I was reminded of a powerful lesson for life that I’m going to share simply to help spare you some of the agony and frustration.
It all started with a traffic light. (Well, actually several of them. In a row. All turning red just as I’d get close…but not close enough to get through while it was still remotely yellow.)
Stop. Then go. Then stop. Go. Stop. Go.
My brakes were getting a workout. And thanks to an annoying feature in my car, the engine would shut down while I was stopped and have to restart in order to resume driving. Which meant the starter was also working overtime. Not to mention my gas mileage sank/stank.
The solution? Slowing down before a stoplight and never quite coming to a complete stop if possible. My husband is always doing this, but I have to admit it turns into a running start when the light turns green since the car is already in motion.
There’s a reason for this. (Science nerd time!) Newton’s laws of motion say that moving objects stay moving and stopped objects stay stopped unless acted upon by force. So if there’s any way to keep moving forward no matter how slow, take it.
All of the above applies to life too.
Just when we start to get momentum, things can come to a screeching halt and we are forced to wait. Then when it’s time to go, it takes SO much effort to get moving again.
Maybe we started a home exercise plan or signed up for a class at the gym or decided to go walking after supper every day. Then got hit with a simple head cold or a twisted ankle that requires extra rest for a season. Or a hip/knee/shoulder replacement. (Been there, survived that.) Or a storm rolled through and there’s a perfectly valid reason to put that walk off until tomorrow.
Maybe we’re on a roll checking things off the to-do list when we got a phone call. Or the doorbell rings. Or a family member interrupts to ask for help with something they really could have done on their own. So we lose our train of thought and a snack sounds really good plus wasn’t there laundry to be folded before we get back to the list?
Or maybe like me, I was in the middle of writing a book and then buying an investment property hijacked all brainpower and time and I completely lost track of who was doing what and where I was headed with the story and then had to spend hours trying to get back in the groove only to be interrupted again.
Like my car and traffic lights, it doesn’t take much to lose all the momentum and motivation. And getting started again can be really hard.
The solution? There is power in small consistent routines. Emphasis on small.
Just keep moving. Somehow. At turtle or even snail pace if necessary.
For example, get off the couch and walk down the hall and back. Do a couple squats while waiting for supper to cook on the stove. Or skip the squats and stretch instead. Do two wall push-ups.
If there’s a stalled to-do list, find the easiest thing and do it first. Break down a task into individual small steps and pick one of those. Then just do it. Start the momentum somewhere and then keep it moving one slow, small step at a time.
That’s what has worked for me, but I wasn’t the first to come up with the idea. God’s word says the same thing:
?“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” – Zechariah 4:10?
“Though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.” – Job 8:7?
?“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9??
Life may feel stop and go, but don’t give up. Even small, slow, and steady steps can get us incrementally closer to the goal.
(Speaking of which, somehow in the chaos, I got back the edits on book two of my new series and ARCs will be available soon. If you’re interested, you can still join my Review Team at the bottom of this email.)
in the meantime, what about you? How do you keep going when life tries to get you to stop? Any motivational tips or inspirational verse you want to share? I can use another cheerleader!
