I was in the zone. I was on fire. I was finally writing the blog posts that were bound up inside of me. Then I got sick, twice in one week. First side blinded by a change in the weather, then I caught a stomach bug. My progress slowed to a crawl. All I wanted was to write, but I felt so weak. Sometimes in our lives, we get bumped off course.
One day you are excited to go on a diet, or learn a new skill. You get yourself up once or twice, and then, your yetzer hara (evil inclination) kicks in and says “Maybe tomorrow”. Another great dream on pause.
Your dream does not go away, because it is a part of who you are (supposed to be). The caterpillar has that beautiful butterfly deep down inside, but we avoid making the cocoon. Maybe you don’t have this problem. Maybe it’s only me that has this problem. That’s fine. I will write for me.
Before too long you are motivated to make it happen once again. It is hard. On the verse in Shemos 19:5, Rashi quoted the Mechilta and says “All beginnings are difficult.” The reason our path to success is so difficult is because we keep starting over. Over and over and over again. If we want the success, why do we keep stopping? In this case, it was not because of my own doing. I got sick. Too frequently, however, the slow progress is entirely because we don’t put in what it takes to keep motivated. What keeps you moving when times get tough? Maybe it is your vision of what success will feel like. If nothing else, keep moving simply because it is easier than starting over once again. Tell the yetzer hara “I am sorry but I can not stop because __________________” You fill in the blank.
You can reach your goal. You can do it. The sum of all of your efforts will get you there. If you put gaps between all those efforts, it is going to take way way more effort. Just keep going. When your body is crying out to stop tell yourself “Not today, maybe tomorrow.” When tomorrow comes you repeat “Not today, maybe tomorrow.” Today is the day to make it happen. Quitting is something you did once upon a time. Not giving up is the only item on the agenda today.
For each of us the goal is different. Run one more lap. Do one more sit up. Write one more paragraph. Review the mishna one more time. Call one more client. Just don’t stop. Today is the day that we keep going.