This weekend I read the Time Magazine special edition of “Mother Teresa at 100.” I don’t subscribe to her particular religion, but I’ve always admired her ability to lead others. So I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about her. The most surprising thing I learned was that there were long periods in her ministry when she no longer heard God speaking to her. She felt lost. And when I say “long”, I mean decades. Almost nobody knew- she was always the cheerful, reverent, energetic Mother Teresa, despite her inner struggles. The only reason it came to light at all was because some letters that she had written to her spiritual advisers were released to the public. This revelation shocked me- the steadfast, rock-solid Mother Teresa had doubts? And despite this, she kept going?
Sometimes Life goes along smoothly, and we are able to happily make progress towards our goals. And sometimes it doesn’t. Those bumps in the road slow us down. And sometimes we slow down to the point where we don’t even know if it is worth the effort to get going again. “Sure,” you say. “Maybe Mother Teresa kept going, but I’m certainly no Mother Teresa.” So I’ll give you a much more down-to-earth example: myself.
I’m committed to spending two hours a day working towards my personal goals. When things are going well, I hit that goal with no problem. But this summer it’s been one bump after another. My mother-in-law with dementia has been living with us for eight weeks. Bump. Our house had a bat infestation and a bird mite infestation. Bump bump. My career has been on hold for six weeks as I wait for information about a promotion I am supposed to be receiving. Bump. The basement flooded, my administrative employee quit, and the list goes on and on. Bump, bump, bump. I can tell you that these bumps have absolutely slowed me down. So how do we keep making progress when things get bumpy?
- Adjust your expectations. When you hit those bumpy patches in Life, give yourself permission to slow down.
- Plan to accomplish goals weekly or monthly, instead of daily. This gives you breathing room on those really tough days.
- Celebrate all of your progress. If you are able to hit a milestone during a bumpy patch, take the time to pat yourself on the back.
- Remember that you are writing your life story. The hero of a good book always has obstacles to overcome. When you look back over those tough periods, you’ll be so pleased with yourself that you kept going. And you’ll realize that you cherish those itty bitty steps you took during the hard times more than the giant strides you took during the good times.
Keep going, despite the bumps. Sure- the average person would stop. But you aren’t average, are you?
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