I came across this gem on the internet. It totally makes sense to me.

That Emily McDowell is a wise person.
TTFN!
Come On, Inside My Head, if You Dare…
There are so many great ones!
I came across this gem on the internet. It totally makes sense to me.
That Emily McDowell is a wise person.
TTFN!
The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
— Chinese proverb
I should have this proverb tattooed on the top of my right hand. So I would see it every day and remember this simple, but very important concept.
It is in my nature to have a great idea and go full steam ahead with it – expecting to create or change whatever it is, in an impossible time frame. Then… I get overwhelmed. When I am overwhelmed, I become stuck, the task is too large and I don’t know where or how to begin. So I don’t do anything at all and feel like a failure.
I am an intelligent, mature person. Why do I insist on making things harder on myself? If three therapists over the years can’t help me answer that question…
I have several ‘mountains’ I want to move these days. Each one requires patience, perseverance and a lot of time. They should not be done in haste, or, as my folks called it, half-assed, because they are important to me. No boss or taskmaster is looking over my shoulder, or anxiously waiting for these mountains to get moved. The only ones who give a flying hoot about these things are Me, Myself, and I.
You would think I could give myself a break! Sometimes I do. Then taking a break from one, leaves room for working on another one. Therefore, I am floating in the breeze, not getting anything finished.
You may have noticed this, my dear reader, but my blog posts are few these days. And yes, I know they are boring – a fact I plan on correcting.
Oh wait! That’s another mountain, isn’t it?
Damn!
Gotta Go…
I came across this quote today while cleaning my office:
The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
— Chinese proverb
I have tried to move a mountain with a bulldozer, big chunks at a time, in my impatient way of doing things, and it is not going well…
I haven’t even opened the file that contains my novel in weeks. This alone makes me feel like a big loser instead of a writer working on a novel. I have started many novels in my life and got distracted by something (or just got bored with the story), only to abandon them to the bottom drawer.
I can’t let that happen to this one – it is too good.
I worry that I won’t be able to get back into the groove after weeks have gone by. From a distance, the novel becomes an immense, complicated project and completely out of my league. Self-doubt gnaws at me with familiar voices. “You’re wasting your time,” “You write like a kid,” “It’s way too corny to be taken seriously” – and those are the nice ones.
Funny how one sentence can put things into a new perspective – that encourages and gives hope. A sentence that states a simple truth, that can be applied to many things for many people.
Yes, my novel is a huge undertaking and overwhelming when I dwell on it. If I just take it one small section, one chapter, at a time, then I can get it finished.
Thank You, Chinese monks, writing proverbs.
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photo credit: ed 37 ~~ via photopin