Never stop
Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.
Sir Winston Churchill
"The joy is in the journey." That's the Reader's Digest version. And it's true. For it's during the journey that you're pushing yourself to your limits, considering your options, eyes keen for the next handhold, feet seeking out the next step along that long, long ladder of attainment. And once you reach the top? A big YAHOO! to celebrate. And then …?
Well, basically it becomes a "been there, done that" moment. An "I remember when …" memory. And who wants to bore everyone with stories of the stuff you did "back then?" It's always more engaging to talk about what you're doing now, no?
You don't want to rest on your laurels. For one thing, it's no good for them; plants hate it when you sit on them. And it's no good for you either. Life is growth; life is movement.
So the key is to aim high and then go. Decide you're going to become the best writer, the best artist, the best whatever, and then start moving toward the goal. You've published a story? Go for a novella. Done that? Time for a novel. And a second. And a third. You may be good but you can always be better.
You know, there's a little secret along these lines that people don't generally realize. And I'd like to fill you in on it but I notice that it's getting late and I've got to be going. So tune in next Tuesday when we revisit the topic of "How to become great in 3,437 easy lessons."
- And that's today's word from the bird
