Tiny drops

I promise they're adding up / Issue 1,189

Oh, hi friends!

I think it's time for a rethink.

When we have a big event, project, or deadline coming up, our effort often looks like this.

Massive, crashing waves pummeling the shore.

Did I respond to that RSVP?
Who can sub for the actor who's sick?
Will the contractor arrive in time?

BOOM.

Is the sheet music updated?
Have I prepped enough for the presentation?
Do I have everything I need?

Urgency! We ride the waves and break with them.

POW.

So much momentum. Adrenaline, too. Probably some seaweed.

But eventually the event, project, or deadline passes.

And life feels more like this.

Quiet. Calm. Sort of nice.

But you kind of miss the sound of the ocean. And the feeling of being carried along.

It's a little disorienting, not having a direction. You might ask yourself, Where am I even going?

Here's the rethink.

Life during those in-between moments can look like this.

Drops.

Subtle, important, meaningful drops. 

Your intention isn't to fill a giant vessel. You're not trying to quench your thirst. You're not trying to carry seashells to shore.

You're doing something else.

Creating ripples.

That's all.

The new person you meet, the email you write, the short phone call, the quick DM, the two-minute update, the small favor for someone else, the script you read, the time you take to percolate.

Subtle drops.

That’s the goal.

Creating ripples.

Trust that movement is happening, even if it’s sometimes hard to see.

The drops might not seem significant now, but they'll get you to the next wave.

It all adds up.

PS — I might bring back the occasional advice column, mainly because I want to hear what you are working on / debating / figuring out! If you have a question that you might like to ask me about your project, work, career, lemurs, life, etc., hit reply to any of these newsletters or comment below and I’ll see if my brain might come up with something helpful for you.