We all like fast, simple, and easy.
We crave instant gratification.
We want shortcuts that allow us to fast forward past all the grueling work so we can get to the point where we’ve done the thing or achieved the goal.
I get it: I’ve been there. When I started freelancing full-time seven years ago, I was in that boat. Most weeks I was frustrated I wasn’t very busy with client work and that I wasn’t earning the amount I wanted to earn.
This isn't the first time I've been discouraged because I wasn't getting the results I wanted immediately, either.
When I started running, I had this mental picture that I would be fast (and that it would be easy.) I mean...it's running, which is essentially walking fast.
How hard could it be?
The first time I went for a run was with my Dad, and we went slow. I mean realllllllly slow. Like, a walk with a bounce. So slow, in fact, that I asked him why we were doing it that way (since I knew he normally went much faster.) “This is how you start out,” he said. “If you go slow, you’ll be able to run further. If you start out too fast, you’ll just get tired and burned out.”
That made sense to me, so we chugged along at our snail pace.
I kept using this model as I started running on my own, starting slowly and eventually going a bit faster as I got stronger and built up some endurance. If I found myself getting tired to the point of wanting to stop, I just slowed back down to the near-walk bounce that I started with.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” -Confucius
As I was on a run last week, I was thinking about this approach to running and how it applies not just to being able to run long distances, but to most things in life: Relationships. Goals. New projects or career paths.
I hear this a lot from people I work with on writing and freelancing: They’re pushing through and doing the work, but the daily slog isn’t all that fun or gratifying.
They want to be a great writer, like, tomorrow.
They want to be the go-to person in their niche in a matter of weeks.
They want a fully booked workload and to earn their goal income next month.
As a result of this mindset, they set themselves up for disappointment, or worse: failure. For some, this approach leads them to the point of completely giving up. They use up all their time, resources, and mental energy at the beginning and then sputter out a few weeks later totally exhausted, frustrated, and discouraged.
The hard truth is: Just like when working to run long distances, you’ve gotta chug along at that slow, persistent pace at first.
This is why I’m all for “tiny wins” over big, shoot-for-the-moon goals.
If you really want to achieve the goal you're after, you have to stick with it.
Yes, there will be days when you feel like: "Ugh...this is the last thing I want to do right now. There are a million other things I'd rather do." Maybe you'll even be off your game for a day or two.
The good news is: That's okay.
It happens, and it's important not to let a bump in the road totally knock you off course. Don't beat yourself up about it, and instead, reset and start again the next day. Progress will be slow, but measurable and noticeable...and after a while, it stops feeling like such hard, unrewarding work.
This lesson is fresh in my mind right now because I just had to put it back to use in my own life (in this case, related to running.) Last month I got sick (a case of Shingles, probably triggered by stress) and wasn’t able to run or exercise at all.
I knew this meant I’d be starting back at square one, and was frustrated that I’d lose all the endurance I’d worked hard to build up in the previous weeks.
But last week, I laced up my running shoes again and went back out for a run. I started at a snail’s pace and maintained it the whole way. And guess what? I was able to make it three miles without stopping.
It was hard. I sweated a lot, my heart raced in my chest, and my breathing was heavy the whole damn way. But even though it took me a really long time, I didn’t stop.
It's been hard to be consistent, so I even tried something new (and super simple): I printed out a calendar for the month of October and I'm putting an X on every day that I run.
It's working: It's the accountability partner I never knew I needed. Crossing out those dates on the page is *so* satisfying.
However this theme applies to in your life right now, remember: Slow and steady.
Resist the urge to go fast, to push hard, and to over-extend, as you’re likely to fizzle out shortly after.
Instead, be persistent.
Stick with the thing even when it’s hard and uncomfortable.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other.
