I have truly been feeling the effects of the Mercury retrograde that has been occurring since June 17th.
I have been experiencing the traditional car trouble I usually tend to hit during mercury retrogrades as well as the mental drainage from having so much to juggle.
My energy level has greatly fluctuated the past few weeks but not my enthusiasm nor expectation of forward movement, despite the reverse motion the world is experiencing right now.
I have been tempted to get down on myself for not posting as much or being as social the past few weeks but I resisted. Life is not meant to always be moving at the same speed.
There are times we need to move with a sense of urgency and times we need to slow down to avoid costly mistakes or wasted effort. This has been a time of the latter.
There is so much I want to do and have started that I am excited about but I also know that in order to do everything well or with focused attention, I need to structure my time and my efforts.
If you think of everything that has to be done at once instead of breaking things down day by day, the brain can begin to get overwhelmed and you look back to see absolutely no accomplishment.
We will not always feel like doing what we need to do. We may not even always feel like doing everything we want to do; however, we must still ensure that we aren't just hanging off the side of the mountain.
It can be really easy to look up at a mountain and get intimidated by the idea of the work it takes to get up there, but as climber Chris Weidner put it, "be learning-focused and curious about the process rather than being result focused."
This doesn't mean to stop caring about the result. It refers to being alright that everything cannot be done at once or always done right. It is okay to go slower sometimes as long as we are still progressing.
Two other critical aspects of climbing mountains, similar to reaching goals or working toward progress, are using the best route and doing advance training.
Refusing to rush through processes and instead complete them in the most effective way helps to prevent stalling out altogether or dragging out the finish. The body and the mind doesn't just have to be adapted and ready for athletic activities, they must be prepared for making dreams come true as well.
When was the last time you messed something up because you didn't want to take the time to read the directions or you forgot something at the grocery store because you didn't feel like writing it down? When was the last time you were totally unprepared for a confrontation or you didn't enlist enough help for something because you didn't want to wait?
Back to my car, it took pretty much a full week to complete the work on it because I had a lot done. I went several days without it but I chose not to worry or even keep calling the shop about it.
My sister brilliantly pointed out that it is better they take their time and do it right versus speeding through and making mistakes. I ended up a happy customer at Christian Brother's Auto in Virginia Beach because they did their due diligence and explained everything.
With all this being said, I am adding quite a bit to my plate and it will be interesting to see how I am able to manage. I am halfway through my certification program with Curtin University for suicide prevention and developing mental fitness in young adults.
I will also soon be sharing my design projects with both clothing and jewelry in order to literally make something of my educational training. It is absolutely clear to me that in order to be and feel like my best self, making things is what fuels me. "Something out of nothing" so to speak.
Yet I also know that I must compete with myself more than other artists. I don't need to try and produce on the same level as a multimillion dollar company or someone that has been doing something I'm relearning for years and years.
There will be days of being too tired. There will be days of plans going left or maybe finances slowing down, but it doesn't mean we stop. It means slow down and regroup to start again.
Maybe you haven't sang in years or worked out in months or picked up a project again that you set aside. So what if you are rusty? So what if you have to retrain? So what if you thought you would be finished already?
The point of life is to always have something to push for. Find a way to be steadily moving, changing speeds, finding the best routes. Enjoy the scenery and look around while you are waiting... who knows what otherwise you would have missed.
What are you determined to start on the journey to an incredible finish?