There seems to be pervasive discourse on the importance of putting in the hard work. Brick by brick, day in, day out, rain or shine, tooth and nail, blood, sweat and tears, there’s a level of reverence reserved for those who show up. This seems to be especially true when it comes to work.
Big goals can be incredibly discouraging when we realize that after a few years of building brick by brick, it seems we are not much closer to completing our biggest goals, and are reminded that Rome was not built in a day.
Sooooo how can we tackle such overwhelming goals? Bird by bird.
Imagine a father and daughter sitting on a deck overlooking a large lake and forest. It’s golden hour in the winter. Chilly air, warm sunshine, babbles from the lake, and birds chirping by. This scene is of a young girl going bird watching with her father from Bird by Bird, by Lamott.
She asks him, how does he plan to see every bird? He looks down at her with a smile and says, “Bird by bird buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
In the process of achieving our biggest goals and deepest desires, bird by bird reminds us of the practical importance of showing up each day, breaking big goals into manageable steps, aand it is a gentle reminder to enjoy the process of reaching our goals.
~Some days we’ll look across the lake and only find one bird, some days we won’t see any. Many days we’ll see the same birds. And then there will be days when just as we are packing up, and it’s freezing cold, we see three of the rarest birds~
The value, bird by bird, has been the foundation of my life and of my business Amulet. It’s fueled me through years of the lonely, discouraging journey of bootstrapping a business solo, and previously through the uphill battle that was the early days of the first startup I worked at during Covid. I love my work like I’d imagine someone loves bird watching. Many days it’s repetitive and boring, many days its discouraging, then days of ruffled feathers, but mostly it’s a positive, exciting experience filled with lots of learning and discovery. In recruiting it seems one effortless spur of the moment conversation turns into business and realized dollars, while many planned interviews go no where hahaha.
The bird by bird approach is a wise one to build a great career (and a great relationship, healthy body, and a great life). While many are focused on showing up each day with a tough, rigid, resilience, bird by bird offers a more sustainable and anti-fragile approach.
Bird by bird says dream big and follow those dreams with daily small steps, show up each day even when it’s hard, and have fun along the way.
The goal doesn’t mean so much once it is reached; the reward is not so rewarding once it has been given. If we add up all the rewards in our lives, we won’t have very much. But if we add up the spaces between the rewards, and the rewards then we’ll have everything - every minute of the time we spent. -Tao of Pooh, Hoffman
So take it bird by bird :)
see you at the next side quest.