Keep throwin' that loofah at the door, yo.
I asked my 3.5 year old to go grab one of the loofah sponges from our other bathroom and my daughter happily obliged...
When she got back, she decided that rather than handing it to me through the open glass door, she wanted to throw it over the shower to me — except the glass door is almost three times her height.
She tried once.
Her first shot was actually pretty great; it just missed the top edge.
Her second shot went backwards.
Her third shot hit straight at the door.
I opened the door again, telling her, "You can just hand it to me here."
"No!" she insisted.
She took a few steps back and tried again.
She began to get frustrated and then shouted, "AHHHH!!!"
Despite the fact that I had already decided I was never going to get the loofah and should just finish my shower, I encouraged her to keep going.
"You can do it." I gave her a pointer. "If you stand back a little, you actually have a better shot."
She did as I suggested. Better, but still no dice.
Wilder kept going again and again...
"AHHHHHH," she grunted.
I opened the glass door one more time, but she still didn't want to hand it to me.
Finally, she swung her arm back and took one last shot.
Bink.
The pink loofah tipped right over the edge and into my hands.
"You did it!" I cheered.
She cupped both her hands around her mouth, stoked about her personal accomplishment.
Then, she ran right out of the room onto the next thing.
In an instant, my toddler taught me a valuable life lesson that I have been struggling with...
PERSISTENCE — NO MATTER WHAT.
It's pretty easy to work hard, because our culture values hard work.
It's also pretty damn easy to compare your accomplishments (or lack thereof) to what you're seeing everyone else seems to be rockin' on the social media highlight reel, causing you to wonder if you're doing something wrong.
If maybe you're not far enough in life.
If maybe you should hide away that real and raw feeling you've been going through.
In launching my business, there have been multiple points I've wondered, "WTF. Is this EVER going to happen?"
The clients.
The money.
The notoriety.
THE CLARITY OF WHAT I'M ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
But, unlike Wilder, I've wanted to simply give up at times.
Get the full-time job.
Buy the house.
Pretend that everything is okay, when my soul knows otherwise.
Do the things that society views as "successful".
The pressure of doing your own thing and going against the grain can sometimes really screw with your psyche.
So...
I journal.
I practice affirmations.
I meditate.
And still, there have been days when I have written down in big capital letters, "FUCK YOU, GOD."
See?
I'm real.
But, watching my daughter continue to try, even when * I FULLY DID NOT BELIEVE SHE COULD DO IT * and then she proved me wrong, I realized, "Well, if my 3.5 year old can do it, then I can, too."
That's why connecting with your WHY is so essential.
Every morning now (and these days, it's at 3am, #thanks15hourtimedifference), I've been re-reading my WHY.
It's helped me see feel more firmly grounded in my resolve.
Because...
If I give up, that next throw? That next attempt?
Well, that's the one that could be everything I was looking for.
But, I won't know that unless I keep on trying.
Today's #FreshFridays are about spotting these tiny miracles and reminders all around us from the Universe, nudging us forward.
The little things are worth celebrating as much as the big wins.
Truly.
