As we share ourselves with others on social media, I’m learning- it’s easy to define our worth by the size of our following.
But that is a lie.
I reminded myself today that in 2006 when I first blogged, I had 5 readers. In 2018 when I first started a podcast, I had 50 listeners. Today when I speak, there are 1000 views per week. These numbers are not anywhere big but I’m learning- that the numbers themselves don’t matter as much as the trajectory of growth and impact they reflect.
Growth can be hidden and unseen. Impact can be narrow but deep.
In my recent read of “The Slight Edge,” Jeff Olsen writes, “The myth of our culture is the giant step, the larger-than-life leap, the heroic effort… but the slight edge is a consistent series of tiny, seemingly insignificant action, repeated over time… that take you where you want to be.”
I am learning- that to truly be joyful, to lead a meaningful, purposeful life, is to be free to pursue our passions without the need to be validated by external yardsticks.
True joy comes when we walk our whys, and live out our values, with or without anyone looking, whether or not it comes with the outcomes we look for.
If there’s something you’re sowing into today which you’re not reaping external results for – whether it’s an exercise program, a start-up project, loving on your children who has disabilities or just trying your darnedest best to raise your toddlers, know this- “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work, you don’t give up.”
As long as you clarify your values and know your why, that is reason enough to keep doing what you do.
Don’t give up.