Your Daily Effort Is The Way
Day 63: Taking just one step a day leads to your dreams
Today was the day. The alarm blared some loud music at 5:00 am. I sprung up, awake for a while. I stumbled down the stairs in the darkness. The soft blanket and pillows on the sofa beckoned me to give in to a little more rest. After a while, I began my meditation practice.
My new morning routine did not go perfectly. Usually, I go for a morning walk outside. However, yesterday evening there was thick smoke in the air and high winds. Since the high winds persisted this morning, I was not sure if it was a good idea to go outside.
Today is teaching me to let go. I let go of the idea of a perfect routine, and today I am grateful to practice my new schedule for next week. These are the lessons I am learning on my 100-day spiritual journey, exploring the book Silent Power by Stuart Wilde among his other works.
I have an opportunity today to learn how to lean in to effort instead of struggling. I can choose to be upset that I did not follow my plan for my morning routine down to the letter, or I can choose to accept the imperfections of the day. I am grateful that I got started on my new routine. Sometimes I have small battles with my mind. My mind wants things to be perfect. My spirit wants me to be in flow, to take one step at a time.
Effort is a natural part of human existence. You can’t walk to the store without effort. You will burn calories getting there, buying your groceries, and coming home. Effort is natural. Struggle however is effort laced with emotion. It is not the minimal action and flow of Wu Wei. -Stuart Wilde
Always striving for perfection is a struggle instead of an effort. It is the mind, pulling us to do a thousand things when we only really need to do one. Right now outside, the leaves are letting go of the trees. They do not struggle to hang on to the branches, refusing to see that the season is changing.
Two tendencies that I have are workaholism and perfectionism. These come up for me within the thoughts that race through my head. Recently I had a thought that I should deep clean the house. This is not a useful thought at this time. When that thought comes up, I have to say: “Thank you for the idea. Now is not the right time.” I have to remind myself what my soul’s purpose is at this moment. Right now my work is to write and to teach.
Working is moving relentlessly towards your target, one step at a time, in an organized and disciplined way. -Stuart Wilde
My spirit can rest in knowing that I did my daily work today. I put in an effort. It was not perfect, but I took my step today. This is a celebration. I am growing my heart and soul through my work. This gives me peace.
My prayer and my intention for you today is that you feel peace in your heart. I want you to know that you are putting in your best effort just by taking one step today. You are doing the work and walking the walk. You are doing what you know how to do and is your work for today.
What is the one step you took today towards your dreams?
I am tagging my fellow writers here who are following along on this journey so that I may share this path with them: Art Bram, Noma Dek, Bob Jasper, Tree Langdon, Rasheed Hooda, Michele Thill, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Dr John Rose, Amy Marley, Taha Abbas, Henery X (long), Suntonu Bhadra, Nomanono Isaacs, Chowa Sekai, Terry Mansfield, KeepingitrealwithAnnick, Tony Young, Jr., Jessica Cote, Sumera Rizwan and many more! Thank you Illumination Family!
Trista Signe Ainsworth is a professional organizer with Joyful Minimalism. She helps working women clear the clutter, overwhelm, and shame from their homes and lives so that they can truly live in joy.
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