What Progress Looks Like

I've often wondered what progress looks like.

I've come to the conclusion that the answer depends entirely on the task at hand... and perhaps one's personality.

I am a perfectionist. There, I said it (and posted it for all the Internet to see!). While I have learned to ease off on some things (I no longer expect my children to sort their toys into small individual bins. Instead I am happy if they all hit the same bin and are not spread out all over the floor. But that only took a week or two and happened when they were toddlers!), I am still learning when it comes to others.

Perfectionism can be paralyzing. There are times when, if I can't do it all and if I can't do it the way I envision it, I hesitate to even begin. Other times, I don't allow myself time to do things I enjoy because there I things I "need" to do. (We all know that housework never ends.) Anal? Compulsive? Neurotic? If you were to call me any of those, it wouldn't be the first time I'd heard them.

So... what if: I can't lose 5, 10, 20 pounds overnight? ... the stitching is off by 1/16 of an inch? ... my floors look a little dusty when the sun hits them or there are splatters on the bathroom mirror? ... I think of better wording after hitting "Publish"? What if things aren't just the way I'd like them?

Have I made progress if the task isn't completed perfectly? Have I made progress if I stepped up to give the child the argument she was looking for but then apologized for not keeping my cool (read: being the adult) and asked for her forgiveness? Has my husband made progress if the kitchen is only half-tiled?

YES!

So I'd like to share what progress looks like in our house today:

Letters in the name that are spaced further apart than I'd like them. (I did not do the logo, just the name.)

Half an hour on the treadmill - while downloading running apps!

30 minutes of sewing on a project that has been in progress for 9 months.

Reading the right books - and keeping up with friends both near and far.

A half-tiled kitchen!! (Hopefully the wall to the right will be complete tomorrow!)

A great little tool.

Yes, I used the timer method again today. I'm really quite enjoying the fact that if I achieve 30 minutes of focused work on a task then I have accomplished it! (As opposed to not feeling that I've achieved anything because the project may not be complete.)

Progress also looks like a mother and daughter in a tear-filled embrace, because the mother has just asked forgiveness for not keeping her cool... but I'll leave that picture to your capable imaginations.

Perfection is a myth. There is not a single perfect person here on earth. I think I'll choose to be happy with progress from now on.

Practice Makes Perfect?

It's easy to go through my day with blinders on, not looking for things to be thankful for.

 New habits take time to create. Three months, some say. I'm on day eight. I'm still working on improving my "stinkin' thinkin'" (negative, untrue thoughts), still learning to look for gifts to be thankful for, even in the mundane. Thanks to the accountability I created for myself when I started this blog, I've had at least a couple new items every day. I'm thankful for that, because without it, it would be VERY easy to just go through the motions of life. Even finding one or two new items to count as blessings each day is progress. Big change doesn't happen over night, right?

So today I choose to be thankful for my progress, thankful for the accountability that keeps me working toward my goal. It's not that there haven't been many great gifts today (squealing baby laughs in the nursery at church this morning, a great visit with a mom who stayed with her child who would not be left, and a fabulous afternoon at a hay ride and wiener roast with the girls), it's just that I haven't been feeling especially joyful the past couple of days... and tonight in my reading I found the answer.

"While I may not always feel joy, God asks me to give thanks in all things, because He knows that the feeling of joy begins in the action of thanksgiving." Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

I hadn't been thanking God for those gifts as I received them. The good news is that it's never too late to thank God for His gifts. As I sit here tonight contemplating my day, my progress, and giving thanks for all these things and more, I can literally feel my attitude and mood shifting. Nobody ever said it would be easy, but it really is that simple.