Progress, Failure, and Trying Again

Today, you’re going to make progress.  The universe might not let you see the results of your labor.  Fate might throw you some more curveballs, sofa-sized.  You might feel like today was wasted.  Heck, maybe not just today, but every single day you’ve tried this specific thing… wrote this book, sought this new job, tried to improve your relationship.

But you forget something extremely important when you’re typing, talking, seeking, working.  You forget progress isn’t always visible.  Much of what happens takes place behind the curtain, like the Wizard of Oz.

You may not have found that new job today, but you may have found out which job isn’t right for you.  You may not be inviting your mom out for dinner, but you can think of her and smile now.  There is movement, a glacial inching towards something more…and better.

The times when hard work ends in a completely failed result still aren’t wasted.  You learned perseverance.  You learned strength and patience.  You learned new skills that can aid you should you try again.

And you must try again.  Failing hurts, it sucks, it drains you.  You’re allowed to spend some time mourning the loss of a dream, a goal, something you wanted ferverently for a portion of your life.  Loss is a big thing and is often like progress… intangible.  If you don’t try again, there might be no failure, but there is also zero chance of success.

We need to attempt things with our lives—greasy, painful, large, potent things that sparkle, blare, and taste like rainbows smell.  It gives us direction.  It lets us close our eyes and dream sweeter, of worlds of our shaping, of days slathered in joy.  It lets us face the sun with hope and the moon with purpose.  We find our strength and who we are when we strive, when we create.

You’re going to make progress today and, if you look close enough, you’ll see change under the surface, shaping the world a sliver at a time.