Intensity works…

to a degree

but fails over the long term.

Consistency is the key that pushes through the pain and yields lasting results.

Small habits seem SMALL but they are often the very thing that leads to the breakthrough (even though it seems at times that you are making only tiny steps of progress).

And these creative habits you build do not have to be hours of sweat, blood and tears. As little as 15 minutes a day working toward your dream can be life-changing.

Remember…

“It’s not the hours you put in your work that counts, it’s the work you put in the hours.” — Sam Ewing, former American baseball player

Don't wait for perfect conditions. Roll up your sleeves even when you don't feel like it. You'll be surprised how willing inspiration is to turn up if you'll put your butt in the chair and place a demand on yourself to produce something remarkable.

And with practice comes confidence.

Confidence in the process, and in your ability.

In truth…

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” — Walter Elliot, former Secretary of State for Scotland

Everyone has dreams. They want to do this or that, but the way to reach that dream is to stop dreaming and start doing. You start with small steps, and then the next, and the next.

Tomorrow is a dangerous concept.

We assume it's going to come until…

I sometimes say, "the journey IS the destination". Everything you need is here right now, waiting to be discovered. If we learn the art of embracing and enjoying the journey, the outcomes and rewards stack up day after day.

And as you go, the greatest thing you'll discover is yourself.

“Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.” — Alan Alda, American actor and author

Most people will put their hand up FOR change, but few volunteer TO change.

But that's the secret. YOU are changed when you commit to work consistently toward your desired outcomes.

With consistency and confident trust in the goodness of God and His purpose for your life, even when the going gets tough, or the road seems rough, you know a deeper work of grace is taking place.

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ― Anna Quindlen, American author and journalist

Stay the course, do the work, and love yourself along the way. Your breakthrough is coming.