"We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough." -- Helen Keller
I love the trill of starting something new.? I research every possibility.? I conducted endless conversations about what's "right". Then the moment comes!I jump in feet first.
I can sustain my new and exciting project for a while.? I can go years enjoying a new challenge. ? Then, whether I like it or not, the newness wears off and the grind sets in.
I despise the grind.
When I was younger, I never experienced the grind.?? Before I could grind, I'd jump to something new - new diet, new friend, new business, new apartment, whatever.? The thrill of new never left my life.
My goals are larger now. If I want to achieve my dreams, I must hang in day after day.? I must grind.
I took this picture while we were hiking the Colorado Trail.? In 2006, we hiked 150 miles at over 10,000 feet in two and a half weeks.? This picture represents another day moving from 8,000 feet to over 10,000 feet (the mountain in the distance) only to end the day around 9,000 feet (the other side of the mountain).
This picture reminds me: If I want to achieve my dreams, I must grind a bit in paradise.
How do you stay motivated day after day?? What keeps you going?
Happy Monday!
up a bit early this Monday morning OG, shhh go back to sleep. A grind without a bump, is hardly worth the effort. It is the bumps that make the grind endurable.
10k feet, 150 miles, 15-18 days. A very good stroll if you have a full kit on. especially as you doubled your normal altitude. A flat lander may find it a bit more difficult at the start.
Me? I simply know that soon comes the dawn and with it the light of a new day. Be it gray overcast light or bright sunshine coming through a blue sky. It is all the same and new at the same time. I may be constricted by goals or social constraints but I am not burdened in my heart to fly free away from the grind while I work towards the goals I have.
Peace OG, questioning is good, but only so good for so long. Walking is better.
mark
Posted by: TWM | April 28, 2008 at 11:57 AM
I just realize that we only get so many days alive and above ground, and if I'm grinding, I have to find a way out of it.
As usual, I am soooooooo glad for your Monday post. So very happy you take the time and effort that you make this motivational post, as far as I'm concerned, for me. I thought I'd take this opportunity to than you.
Posted by: CEO | April 28, 2008 at 04:55 PM
I'm motivated by my horrible day job. It keeps me working toward the Golden Fleece of Publication.
Ian
Posted by: Ian Thomas Healy | April 28, 2008 at 05:11 PM
I don't think I could hike 15 miles in 2.5 weeks.
I could drive it in a day or so, though.
Posted by: Mr. Fabulous | April 28, 2008 at 10:30 PM
TWM - I think everything worth achieving has some methodical, step by step movement. Grind is just a word for it! :)
CEO - Sometimes we grind - studying can be a grind, but the results are worth it - one step at a time.
Ian Thomas Healy - Congratulations on your recent interest! whoo hooo!!
Mr. Fabulous - I bet you could. You'd just have to want to.
Posted by: Open Grove Claudia | April 28, 2008 at 10:34 PM
What keeps me going?? the thought that this is still better than the alternative of being stuck doing something I loathe and have no interest in!!
That hike sounds amazing (even though I don't think could do it without some serious training!)
Posted by: claudia | April 28, 2008 at 10:45 PM
The goal if it is worthwhile fuels the grind. We can see the end like the other side of the mountain and we are determined to reach it. When I had to learn to ewalk again at age 63 or so there were times I wondered if I could make it. But every day I pushed that walker down the hall because I wanted to be back to normal enough to endure the pain. The goal makes the grind worthwhile.
Posted by: Dr. John | April 29, 2008 at 02:03 AM
Not that I am special or something... But this is my fifth attempt at posting a comment on your site...Let's see if it will let me this time...
I keep on singing 'Just what makes that little ole ant, makes him think he can move that rubber tree plant...High Hopes...'And,,, post?
Posted by: Pendullum | April 29, 2008 at 03:59 AM
Claudia - Well, yes, there's that. I always think I could be working the inner reaches of a coal mine... ;)
Dr. John - Gosh, I had no idea. Good for you for making the effort. Your story makes the little waa's in my life seem very very little. And yes, the goal makes the grind worthwhile.
Pendullum - I apologize. I don't know what's going on with the site. I think that's an awesome song to sing. I'll have to youtube it for the music! ;)
Posted by: Open Grove Claudia | April 29, 2008 at 04:10 AM