Jig Saw

 

“One step is better than no steps.” ~ Rebecca Brockway 

I ended the year with 2 pending projects – a mat and a sweater. I had barely laid the pattern for the mat and chosen the wool but the sweater was well on its way to half-point until I stopped to take measurements and realized I’d been off course for a while. it had to be undone. [Sob sob] Hence, as I began the year and set out my creative project goals, I had to make a decision. I decided to work on what was already laid out and complete one project at a time.

That seems to have been the easy part. Getting started and making progress is the crux of the matter.

Here is what it has taken to make progress, 19 days into the new year: commitment, consistency, labor, and celebration.

I committed to do something every day to move the project forward. Whether it is the actual weaving or preparing the wool for the weaving, no matter what the task, I have to do something every day towards the completion of the project.

I decided to pair a habit that I have been doing consistently every day with the time I am committing to work on this project. That way, I have already formed a habit of showing up, and now I will be ticking two boxes for one bout of effort.

Some days I’m more tired than others and all I want to do is rest, sleep, or just bum around. Labor is the last thing on my ‘want-to-do’ list. On those days, I look at the task ahead and the sub-tasks and choose something that does not involve all of the heavy lifting but still moves the needle forward. The goal is to show up and get something, anything done.

Lastly, I’m not waiting for the final project to come together to celebrate. Every corner that is finished, every square done, every ball of wool cut – there is a reason to celebrate daily.

It’s a journey of many thousand miles, but every day I show up and put in the effort is a day I get to move forward. It is also boot camp for all the other goals I need to accomplish because I can replicate the steps over and over again to achieve whatever else I set out to do. I am practicing the habit of showing up.

What thousand-piece puzzle are you setting out to solve? Start by finding a corner piece. Then commit to fitting at least 2 pieces daily. Keep going, soon you’ll be at the other end.

“Six months from now you will either have six months of excuses or six months of progress. The choice is yours!”

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