Most things happen gradually.
A roof appears on a newly-constructed home only after the gradual process of building the foundation and walls first.
A child “suddenly” learns to walk only after they’ve gradually learned how to roll over, sit up, military crawl, real crawl, stand next to furniture, and finally take their first awkward steps.
A pitcher makes it to “the show” after working nearly every day of his life.
That amazing motivational speaker you saw this morning got amazing by speaking to hundreds of audiences over the past five years. Truth be told, she probably wasn’t amazing five years ago, but now she is.
The raging river you’re rafting down began its journey as a few drops of melted snow and built from there.
That guy in the gym who knocks out 50 pushups between weightlifting sets got there by doing one pushup at a time, thousands of times…when nobody was watching.
Even when we see the results of graduality all around us, it’s easy to miss.
Make no mistake. Graduality is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.
But it carries a price few are willing to pay: self-discipline and self-belief. The discipline to work tirelessly, and the undying belief that you’re doing the right thing.
What future do you want for yourself?
Do you believe in that future? Do you have the discipline to work for it every day? If so, the power of graduality is there for you.
The good news is that when you harness graduality the right way, your destination becomes much less important than the journey itself.
“Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.” –Lou Holtz
Personal note: Something I’ve worked on gradually for nearly six years is writing blog posts like this one. This is my 220th post. While I’m proud of this achievement, I enjoy the journey of writing them much more than the realization that I’ve amassed so many.
I’d love to hear what you’re gradually working to achieve. Let me know in the comments.
Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash
Encouragement is Personal 