This week was bad.
Really bad.
I was tempted to give up on some projects. (One did get tossed out the door!)
This morning, after morning bible study and a run, this thought came to me. As I ran and the sun was rising, it kept circling in my mind.
If you are feeling a bit down about work or life in general, here is a fun recipe I want to give you! It is best consumed with a cup of coffee, although tea works well too.
3 cups of perseverance.
This is a key ingredient. It is not what gives the work the flavor, but it gives it the substance. But just like too much flour in cookies, you need more than perseverance or the recipe is bland.
¾ cup of good attitude
John C. Maxwell says it the best: Attitude is not everything, but it counts for a lot of things. Choosing the right thoughts, avoid worry and dwelling on negative things helps me to focus and persist when I want to give up.
The right attitude helps me to pursue the vision, regardless of today’s frustrations and challenges.
3 Teaspoons of Common Sense
Sometimes a project is not right for now. It doesn’t mean not ever- but for whatever reason, the project needs to be put on hold. As I mentioned above, I shelved a project this week. The credibility I needed to create the product wasn’t there. So it gets a “no” for now and I will move on to another project that is right for me, the people I want to serve and the time.
Be careful here of the balance of chasing the ideal at the expense of common sense.
1 cup of wonder and curiosity
Curiosity is the antidote to cynicism and becoming crusty and stale.
Keep looking with wide eyes at the world around you, let yourself be captured by the delicate wings of the butterfly, the joy of babies, the strength of spider webs and the crunching of fall leaves under your feet.
1 Tablespoon of Humor
Gotta have humor! This one is especially beneficial if you laugh with a friend. One good belly laugh with a friend lightens an entire day for me. Share a meal with friends and laugh.
Find things to smile at. Laugh at yourself.
Last month was “car month.” Lots of car problems, topped off with needing all four tires replaced. Well, after shelling out the cash for the tires and feeling a bit blue at the funds going out the door, I was driving away, a little anxious about the upcoming month.
A glance in the rearview mirror showed one of my hubcaps flying behind me into the side of the road. Well, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Either I was going to cry or I was going to laugh.
I chose the latter, declaring it was going to take more than a hubcap to knock me down! 
Directions:
Mix everything together, pour into cupcake tins and bake for 19 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, frost with a dollop of sweetness and share with friends.
It’s so easy to give up. Many people have ideas, notions, grand thoughts.
Coming up with bright ideas is not the problem.
Doing the work is.
Starting the project, writing chapter after chapter, learning how to upload pictures and maneuver around a website- these are the things that stop many from truly launching into the creative life.
The important thing is to start and then, to keep going.
Some days are wonderful, everything flows, you feel the rhythm of your work.
Other days, all we want to do is refill the coffee cup, read a book, escape and do something else.
Hang in there. Grab a cup of something wonderfully delicious and get back to work.
I write this to you, but in reality, I write it for myself!
What do you to encourage yourself when the going gets rought & tough? Leave a comment. I will respond.
Until next time!
