I had a strange experience at work. It made me realize how drastically things change with time and consistency.
We have a bookshelf at work full of donated books for anyone’s perusal. I noticed a super thin novel and was curious as to what it was. I pulled it out and was sent on a nostalgic journey to first grade. The book was Magic Treehouse #6 – Afternoon on the Amazon.
I attribute the Magic Treehouse series to my gateway into reading for pleasure. Back in 1st grade, I would always choose these books as my reading material for the day. I fell in love with these stories and read as many as I could get my hands on. These books started my journey towards reading more and more fiction and has lead to my current love of novels of both fiction and nonfiction,
The bizarre part of this experience was my realization of how short this book was. I distinctly recall these being long chapter books. So when I saw how short it was and how few words were on each page, and even pictures, I was astounded. It made me realize how far I’ve come and how different my views on difficulty has come.
Of course I’ll give first grade Bryce the benefit of the doubt – he was just learning to read, so obviously the books seemed daunting. Now I peruse the books on my own shelf and realize the magnitude of my literary enjoyment. Each book I pick up now is hundreds of pages, discussing topics from business, money, self-improvement, philosophy, and so much more. It’s amazing for me to consider how far I’ve come.
With consistent effort placed on something you love, you progress. The things you once found difficult and time consuming become second nature. This goes for anything you invest your time in.
You may be starting a new journey right now. It may seem like there’s so much to learn, so many avenues to take, and like there’s not enough time to figure it all out. But I want you to realize how far you can go with consistency and a desire to grow.
If you care about something and want to work at it, do it. You don’t have to figure everything out right now and expect to be a master right away. Just do what you can and what you know how. Be patient and intentional, with a focus on building your skillset over time.
One day you’ll be reminded of where you started and you’ll realize how far you’ve come.
October 26, 2024
