Rather than take a scary baby step toward our dreams, we runs to the edge of the cliff and then stand there, quaking, saying “I can’t leap….” No one is asking you to leap. That’s just drama.
Julia Cameron
I love how Julie Cameron reminds us how to avoid taking leaps and to instead focus on baby steps. Her book, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, so I thought it was more than worthy to grab a quote from.
Whether we believe it or not, Ms. Cameron believes we all are creative. She points out something I have also observed many smart and caring women do when it comes to our careers. We sometimes get ahead of ourselves and worry about what will happen in the final step when we haven’t even completed steps 1, 2, or 3.
For example, I’ve spoken to women who will decide it is impossible to find the child care they would need if they got the job they haven’t yet applied for. They worry about the additional hours or increased pressure even before considering a promotion. I find myself asking things like, “Why not apply first and then worry about it if you’re offered the job or if the job is promising?” Or, “What if someone less competent becomes yur boss, wouldn’t that also be stressful?”
Here are some other examples Ms. Cameron provides:
“Instead of writing three pages a day on a screenplay, we prefer worrying about how we will have to move to Hollywood if the script gets bought. Which it can’t anyway since we are too busy worrying about selling it to write it.
“Instead of checking into a life-drawing class at the local culture center, we buy Art Forum and remind ourselves that our stuff is not in style. How can it be? It doesn’t exist yet!
“Instead of clearing out the little room off the kitchen so that we will have a place to work on our pottery, we complain about needing a studio–a complaint that we ourselves cannot take seriously since we do not have any work to argue our case.”
I always say…
One baby step is far better than leaps not taken.
The Lighthouse Method*
Your Turn
What leaps are you using to avoid some baby steps? What small tiny next action can take this week, or better yet, today?
Knitting notes
I had only started the rim of a hat when I took the photo. The black mohair blend yarn, as lovely as it is, makes it hard for me to see my stitches, so I had to restart this one several times! If you would like to see how I’m progressing visit my Ravelry page for this project.
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