In the almost two years it took me to write The Joy of Cancer I was excited for the high I would get when I was finally finished. The closer I got to the finish line, the more eager I was to complete the project, to rest my eyes on the finished product. I didn’t realize the biggest part of the joy was actually in laying the bricks one at a time. The biggest highs I got were from connecting the ideas and putting them into words. I can still close my eyes and feel one of those moments now, the moment when I coined a term for a concept I had been wanting to convey for months..
Creatively, the publishing of the book has been almost anticlimactic. Relationally, however, the book release has been wonderful. Connecting with our readers is magical. Emails, messages, testimonials pouring in from so many warm people bravely sharing their stories with us is so enriching. It’s wonderful to connect with so many people. The reason why creating and relating feel so good is because we experience them in the moment. The experience of life is not when we’re done – it’s in the moment.
Although this applies often to artists because it’s really the act of creating that sets us on fire, I would dare to say that it’s not just applicable to artists. In everything we do, if you’re launching a startup, making a sale, building a car, falling in love; all of those things feel great when you’re doing them. It’s the process that fulfills us. Seeing your clients face change when you reached him/her – knowing you’ve been able to bring them around, the feeling of working your first big account for your startup for which you’ve outlined sky’s-the-limit goals, the discovery of your lovers ins and out.
It’s great to set objectives, they give us the leverage we need to keep growing and moving forward. But to believe that feeling good only comes from attaining these objectives is to pinch ourselves off from the huge feel good potential that is accessible to us on a moment-to-moment basis. While arriving provides a sense of achievement, progress opens up a world of expansive and joyful possibilities. In essence, everything we are seeking, or seeking to change ,is an attempt feel good, or feel better. Finally, the better you feel; the better you perform. The better you perform; the more momentum you gain. The more momentum you gain…. I’m sure you’re getting my drift.
When you can measure that in terms of progress, you’re getting a lot more bang for your buck because every step you take, every choice you make has the potential create progress.
🙂