Near is Easy
Have you ever started something and not finished it? Of course you have. We all have. Granted, some more than others. I am probably in the middle of the pack. I finish a lot but then again there is plenty I don’t finish. Most of what I don’t finish doesn’t ever get beyond the idea stage. If you are like me, even a little bit, the enthusiasm hits hard but implementation fails as the enthusiasm wanes.
Far is Easy
The goal is always so glorious, isn’t it? We all imagine the feeling of winning, or publishing, or fame, or wealth, or a secure relationship. It’s easy to imagine that joy. It’s easy to say you want that happiness. It’s easy to say you are going to do the work to get that wealth. But imagination and saying something aren’t what makes it happen.
In Between is Hard
So how do you keep going during those long stretches where the enthusiasm has waned, the money has drained and the relationship has pained? Of course you need to have that goal in mind. You have to have hope that you can reach it. But it is more than that. The truth is you aren’t always doing something for the feeling it gives you at the moment. You are living through that feeling so that you will reach a finish line where great feelings and great achievements will come to fruition. It might be a book you write, it might be a painting you paint, it might be a relationship you develop.
Making Hard Easy
You can’t make hard easy. But you can make it easier. You make it easier by practicing habits. The habit of getting up every morning and doing 10 push ups will make getting in shape easier, no matter how hard it is. The practice of writing that email to a business connection each morning will make the hard work of networking easier, no matter how hard it is. The practice of saying (and meaning) something loving and kind to your relationship partner each morning will make it easier to build the relationship, no matter how hard it is.
In other words, you aren’t trying to make something hard into something easy. You are trying to make it easier to do something hard. Making a habit of the things that help you along that path is one way to do that.
Drawing and commentary © 2015 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
Quote by Anonymous
Yes, the in-between is hard! You don’t know if you’ll almost there or still a long way out. Keep going. Forward facing!
Exactly Caroline! I am a running coach. And as our goal race approaches I always tell my runners to know the course. It is psychologically and emotionally so much easier if you know when and where the hills are, where the turns are, and most importantly, where the finish line is. It’s a lot easier in a race because we have the advantage of knowing those things. But in life we don’t always get to know. That means the race is harder, more unpredictable, but it doesn’t mean it’s not runnable. It is, you just have to do what you said, face forward and keep going!
I needed this tonight. Thank you!
Reesa, in that case, I am so glad I wrote it!
This past year has showed me that habits are the key to getting through the “hard” stuff. This was such a great post, Marty.
Thanks Amiyrah! Habits are key indeed.
LOVE THIS!!! The in between is sometimes hard but the far is so worth it
So true, right?!
Thanks Sarah. Yes, that daily grind of keeping at something isn’t easy, is it? But what great destination is easy to get to, right?