Any time I have been engaged in a big project, especially a creative one, I have reached a certain point.
At
that point, it feels like I can look back and see the starting line way
closer than I hoped. When I look the other direction, there is neither a
finish line nor a guarantee that there even will be one. For all I
know, the path ends after a blind corner and a steep drop.
It's miserable.
I doubt if I can finish the project. And then I go ahead and doubt if it will be worth a damn even if I do manage to finish it.
I just want to quit.
There
are a thousand more enjoyable things I could be doing. I could sit
back, pop open a tasty adult beverage and watch TV. I could go see a
movie. I could take videos of the cat and post them on the Internet.
These
moments, and there are many, are the reason why most people never write
a book or run a marathon, or climb a mountain. Because these things are
hard, really hard. At various times they suck profoundly.
This is where I try to think about the long game. I think it will hurt more to someday wonder if I could have done than it would to try, even if I fail, and find out.
So what can you do to get past these times? What can I do?
One positive thing.
One
more word written. Sure it's a terrible word that obviously doesn't go there, but write it anyway. Sure the pace
for that last mile was well behind goal marathon pace and it's only a
five miler, but run it anyway. One positive thing.
Just
enough to say you are still doing it. And, if it turns into a
full sentence or another mile or another climb, awesome.
After all, how do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
