I recently read a quote that said,  “Writing is  somewhere between torture and fun.” I chuckled to myself because my initial thought was, “Ain’t that the truth!” I have been challenged to the max this year with actually PUBLISHING blog posts! Over the past 77 days, I have been pretty consistent with writing privately.  I have even created complete outlines for blog posts, but the challenge has  been actually getting those ideas from paper to a published blog! What I have realized is, I have been putting unnecessary pressure on myself to be “PERFECT.”

When it comes to blog writing, I want each blog post to  be a perfectly written, error-free mini-masterpiece, and that is a lot of pressure. It’s the kind of pressure that has had me stuck for the past 77  days!  What I know now is that the pressure I put on myself when it comes to writing is  unnecessary, and unrealistic. It is unrealistic mindsets like this one that breeds procrastination and stagnation. Writing is an exercise, it will only get stronger with use, so the more it is used the more it will progress! On the other hand, if it is over-protected,  its growth will be stunted. So today, I just decided to write! I figured this topic, Progress over Perfection, was a great place to start.

I know I can’t be the only person who started this year fired up  off of the adrenaline of all of the possibilities that could unfold, only to be more than 3 months into 2017 trying to find that passion again.  I want you to know that the passion is there.  It may be asleep due to inactivity in a particular area, but it is there.  You can ignite it today by taking a deliberate step in the  OPPOSITE direction  of your comfort zone.  Chances are,  your “thing”  may not be writing.  But whatever it is, you must exercise it in order to strengthen it.

Sometimes we think because we have a natural talent in a certain area,  we don’t have to practice, train or learn more about it. This is untrue. Being gifted or naturally talented in an area simply means,  you will naturally excel at it, but it doesn’t guarantee that you will maximize your potential automatically.  No,  maximizing your potential requires that you build your gift up deliberately.  We are the determining factor in how far we’ll GROW into our purpose!

One commitment I have kept so far this year is my commitment to develop myself.  It was during one development course that the speaker was talking about the value of progress, and she spoke about how it naturally motivates and empowers us to keep moving forward. That was such a practical nugget, but it nudged me.  I thought to myself, I can learn as much as I can about the things I am called to do in this world, but if I don’t start DOING, I will not progress.  While journaling,  I got this thought,

“Progression is more meaningful than Perfection.  Perfection is simply a beautiful mask to cover procrastination.”  

An unrealistic need for perfection only makes procrastination acceptable.  We must choose to place ourselves in position to PROGRESS!

I want to challenge you this week.  I want you to commit to doing something today or this week that will push you into the path of your purpose!   Like the quote I mentioned before about writing,  at first it may feel like “torture” but have you ever heard the expression, “It hurts so good?”  Well that is how I feel about exercising my writing!  It starts out like torture, but by the end, I feel alive and energized! So let it “hurt so good” in your area of gifting this week. You’ll thank yourself!!

You may be wondering, “Where should I start?”  I say,  start in the area where there is most resistance because that is likely your weakest area, which means it is the place that you have the greatest opportunity for building your proverbial muscle.

I am cheering for you this week!  Pull back the mask, and face your procrastination, and then DO SOMETHING!  When you take your step, it can’t be about anybody else, it’s just about you refusing to keep your gifts locked away any longer.

I am excited to hear from you!  If you are encouraged by this post, please feel free  to COMMENT,  SHARE it with others, and I welcome you to FOLLOW my blog! 🙂

Until Next Time, Keep your hope LIVING,

Sincerely,
Delanea D