PEBBLE
I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving–to reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it–but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, shared by Mary in Colorado
BOULDER
Your first step is just that: the first of many steps. For so long I would stand still, afraid to move in any direction because I wasn’t sure which was the course I wanted to follow for the rest of my life. Finally, someone explained to me that my first steps did not necessarily determine one path for all my tomorrows. There would be more decisions, and more opportunities to make a shift should I need to do so.
-Ashley Ford, shared by Dylan in North Carolina (also showed up here )
PONDER
As I zip around hinder and yonder helping students and staff embrace the possibilities of the upcoming academic year, I’m celebrating first steps in new directions. While I do think that visualization and manifestation techniques can help people get in the right mindset for success, some of the them tend to ignore or underplay the importance of rolling up your sleeve and getting to work (The Secret comes to mind, as do The Whisper Method and the Tinkerbell Effect that are currently making the rounds on social media).
Whenever we want to jumpstart some growth and progress in our lives, it does help to have a clear sense of direction about where we want to go and also at least a general belief that we can get there and that we deserve the success that we associate with achieving a particular goal. Without movement and sustained effort, though….we’re just not likely going to get very far. Even lottery winners had to get up off their tail to purchase a ticket!
Last week in Ripples #1211 we unpacked how our thoughts and feelings and actions are in a continual loop of impacting each other, and how sometimes we find ourselves sitting around waiting to FEEL like doing something even though it is often the case that we need to take ACTION to help boost out our motivation and excitement about something.
If you’ve got some stuff you want to get done this fall, or even just a general sense that you want to be headed in a different direction than you have been…could you pause right now to identify some specific actions that would help get the ball rolling? What first steps could you take TODAY to help ensure that TOMORROW finds you ready for the next steps? Let’s do this!
Peace,
Paul
