On your own

Investing in a relationship is more than merely being there with kindness when the other shows up.

It is about reaching out, it is about preparing and anticipating, it is about giving and taking, it is about having difficult conversations, accepting criticism, opening yourself to a view that is not yours. It is about making that extra effort to be still there, with kindness, when the other is not around.

It takes time, it takes effort, it takes resources.

But if you do not invest in relationships, you will be left on your own.

Sanderson

A few of things to take away from Brandon Sanderson (popular writer of fantasy and science-fiction) breaking Kickstarter in the past week or so.

Wrong turn

When things take a wrong turn, the only thing you can hope for is that you have cherished the moments you have had until then.

If everything is a hustle, a battle, a fight, a competition. What are you left with?

Noticeable

You don’t notice your kids growing. There is no day when they are noticeably taller than the day before, no moment when they are noticeably smarter than the moment before, and for most developments, there is no exact time when you can say “here is when that happened!”.

Yet, they grow. Sometimes you stop and look back at old pictures, and you wonder when that happened. But they grow. You think back at how clumsy they used to be on their bike and now they speed past you. They do grow. You realise that now they are going out with their friends on their own while they used to ask you to take them everywhere.

The point is, not all growth is noticeable.

Actually. There is almost no growth that is noticeable, no progress that is material in short spans of time, no achievement that happens from one day to the next.

Growth is a process.

It’s frustrating at times. But you can’t hurry it up.

Cherish it, instead.

Zigzag

When you feel the pressure of a deadline, a lack of results, a performance review, and you still manage to let things be, that’s when you are setting yourself up for long term success.

It is the day-to-day work, the long-term commitment that set you up for the outcome. It is not the last minute urgency, the sudden opportunity, the finalisation of all minor details.

Act in the present, believe in what you did in the past, and take what’s coming tomorrow as a continuation of your journey. Zigzagging without purpose is not the solution.