Have you ever had the feeling that you're just not getting anywhere, or you probably never will? Maybe you've experienced a sense of time passing you by with presumably nothing to show for it. Maybe you have big goals and dreams that seem too lofty to achieve, so you've been discouraged and have stopped trying. Know that you are not alone in experiencing these feelings, and also know that there are ways to combat them and get you back on track!
Permit me to begin with an example. Imagine you have a Lego set that is one thousand pieces. Every day, you assemble one piece. With each passing day, only adding one piece is seemingly getting you nowhere, especially in the beginning. After a few months of consistently assembling one piece each day, those ninety pieces are starting to have a notable absence from the big pile of yet-to-be-used pieces. Eventually, after a thousand days has passed, you now have a completed Lego set.
Now, this obviously isn't the most practical or efficient way to build a Lego set, but I hope you understand the point I am trying to make. If you are consistently making progress, eventually you will accomplish your goals. If you are not there yet, at least you are further along than you were before. People often get discouraged because they don't quickly see results. Just because you don't have a finished product or a fully realized plan doesn't mean you haven't gotten anywhere.
To use an example of my own life, something I have been working towards is building a career as a photographer, specifically in the live/touring music industry. On one hand, you could look at the fact that I haven't booked any big shows or tours and think that I haven't gotten anywhere or that I haven't progressed on my journey at all because I'm still sitting here at the beginning. However, if you look at all that I have done up until this point, it is quite a lot. A little over two years ago, I began taking pictures at shows after my band would get off stage as we were usually the opening act. I would take pictures as a way to stay involved throughout the night and connect with the other artists. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know what all the settings meant, I had no idea about lighting or composition, and I had no idea that lenses had more of an effect on my shots than just how far I could zoom in or out. Now, two years later with over 40 local shows under my belt, hours of research, and a camera upgrade later, I now have a portfolio that showcases all the work I've done that I can now use to market myself and start getting hired. Have I accomplished my goal? No, but I'm at least quite a bit closer than I was when I first graduated college.
So what does all this mean for you? It means you can do it. You have plenty of time, even if it may not feel like it. Enjoy the hard work and all the hours you put in, because in the end, receiving something you worked hard for is so much more gratifying than being handed something. Remember that time you studied hard for a test and got a good grade? What about how you saved up for that one item you really wanted for a long time? Doesn't it mean so much more that you actually worked hard for something instead of it just being gifted to you? Now imagine that on a much larger scale. Your dream job is attainable. You can make it professionally in that sport. You can improve in your art and have people commissioning pieces. Maybe it is something smaller than that, but whatever it is, take pride in the progress, no matter how slow the going gets. I believe in you, and you should too.
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