Motivated and Hopeful

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“Every sunrise is a blessing, it’s an opportunity to learn something new and to create something that can benefit others. It also gives a chance to make amends. Use it wisely before sunset.” – Eugenia Herlihy

Have you ever seen that math exercise where two people stand something like 20 feet apart? And with each move, they divide the distance between them in half so after the second move, they are 10 feet apart and after the third, five feet.

In the end, the point is that there is an endless number of moves because they’ll always be some distance, even if infinitesimal, between them.

There is no finish line.

It reminds me how I feel about my self-improvement. There’s always room for growth.  

Three recent things have inspired me to keep feeding a growth mindset. When Vicki and I talked with author Andrew Mayne, he described the year when he wanted to become an author. He set a goal to write ten books in a year. He’d write a book and then read a book on writing. I’ve been intrigued by the “feedback loop” as Andrew described it, even since that conversation.

Elizabeth from the Bleuwater blog took a photography course this Spring. As she shared her lessons on speed, aperture, focus, I realized how much I don’t know about photography, especially when I just grab a picture with my phone. You can see Elizabeth’s incredible photography that she submitted as her final here.

Vicki Atkinson wrote a fascinating post about editing last week, Learning to Rewrite. The conclusion that grabbed me? “Pack a punch with fewer words. Make every sentence count.”

The math exercise reminds me that we will never completely occupy the space of another person on this planet. These recent posts and conversations remind me that there are never ending ways to inspire each other and improve. Taken all together, it makes me feel so motivated and hopeful…and never bored.

(featured photo from Pexels)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

I co-host a author, creator and storytelling podcast with the amazing Vicki Atkinson. To tune in, search for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or Pocketcasts (and subscribe) or click here. Or the YouTube channel features videos of our interviews. Please subscribe!

My other projects include work as a CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer), speaking about collaboration and AI through the Chicago Writer’s Association, and my book about my journey to find what fueled my dad’s indelible spark and twinkle can be found on Amazon: Finding My Father’s Faith.

67 thoughts on “Motivated and Hopeful”

  2. I think it’s a great way to think about it and it’s looking at it realistically and putting it all in perspective. I’ve learned over time that life is a series of baby steps taken over time, hopefully in the right direction and that is enough and what I now strive for.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Your list of examples for continuing learning is wonderful. And I love your last words “… and never bored.” I often hear people say how bored they are. Puzzling to me as I don’t know if I’ve ever been bored, or if I have it was for a very brief moment. There’s always so much more to learn, to do, to explore, there is no finish line in a life of discovery.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. I love how you synthesize messages and reel them in, Wynne, to double and triple the meaning and inspiration. So good – and thank you for loving my latest ramble about ‘economy of words’. LOL. 🥰

    Liked by 3 people

  9. Every day is an opportunity! I love this thought. Back when I struggled with depression, that thought felt oppressive and didn’t feel uplifting, because I was, well, depressed. Learning that I could work on myself incrementally to help change my life opened the door to seeing possibilities instead of feeling overwhelmed with guilt that I wasn’t up to it. Growth can be very meaningful if approached incrementally; it’s far easier to do a little baby step.

    I’ve written 2+ books and can’t imagine getting one per month accomplished! That seems very daunting to me, though I admire his fortitude, for extended writing is tiring for we pour so much of ourselves into it.

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    1. Ah, such a good point about a different feeling when depressed. I can see how it wouldn’t be uplifting in that case!

      But I’m all with you on little baby steps! You’re right that Andrew’s goal was daunting – fortitude is a good word for it!

      Happy Monday, Tamara!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I know – that’s interesting, isn’t it? I think his point was just to practice and some of them were novellas. And he wasn’t working a different job at the time either. It’s not an approach for everyone (like me) but it made me think about the feedback loop at least!

      Like

  11. There are indeed innumerable ways to improve and all of them start with “I wonder if…” I think it’s comforting knowing there is always room for improvement because that means there’s always room for growth and when you stop growing you stop being. But then that might be just me.

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  12. “There’s always room for growth.” I love that mantra. It really is true. As a kid, I looked at learning as a finite point . . . I vaguely remember thinking doctors were crazy because of how much school they needed. I’m so grateful that I learned how small minded that really was. Learning and growing are good things.

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  13. It’s one of the best and most freeing lessons in life – to learn that there’s always room for growth and improvement. 🙏 I’ve never seen the math lesson you mentioned before and I love the visual that it creates about all the possibilities. I say this as the hubby is trying to finish homework with T besides me. Always room for improvement. 😂

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  15. Perhaps in self-improvement it helps to realize that perfection is unattainable. Einstein never knew it all, the best athlete misses shots.

    The goal perhaps should always to be learning and like Michael Jordan – be willing to take another shot accepting that not every shot is a winner.

    Expectations can ruin our daily walk or journey as it can blind us to the adventures of serendipitous discovery.

    Liked by 2 people

  17. I love the outlook of always having room to grow. I always think of that math problem in terms of football because some penalties are “half the distance to the goal line“. So in theory, you can keep committing the same penalty over and over and the opposing team will only be awarded a microscopic amount of yardage. This year in the NFC championship game against the Eagles, one of the Washington players was apparently trying to test this theory. The Eagles were within 1 yard of the goal line and he kept committing the same penalty on 3 or 4 consecutive plays. I was interested to see how far this will go, but the referee was not as amused. He told Washington to knock it off or he would just award the Eagles a touchdown. 😂

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  22. “ten books in a year” Makes my head spin just thinking about that. 💫

    Never bored, no. Too many things to learn and enjoy for that to happen. When I was in middle school my English teacher said, “Only boring people get bored.”

    Liked by 1 person

  23. You’re right–it’s a positive thing that we never “arrive.” We can always progress farther up and farther in, as C. S. Lewis wrote. And along with the progress comes the joy of discovery and satisfying improvement!

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Learning is never-ending regardless of age. Love the quote, and what a great post, Wynne, that inspires me to persevere through tech glitches that have me screaming. Well, not literally, but maybe silently. 😲 I also love Andrew’s method, but 10 books in 1 year. Wow! That alone has my head spinning like Linda Blair! 😂 Thank you for always motivating your readers! ❤️

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  27. I haven’t actually heard of this math experiment – food for thought. You are always leaving us with something to ponder.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. We sometimes put pressure on ourselves to have all the answers don’t we Wynne. Your post has brought in to context for me the delicious fruits to be gained from one another and how we link in to the experiences of others.
    I hadn’t come across the Math experiment either. Thanks Wynne 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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