Progress Equals Happiness

Have you noticed that you find things when you need them most? Somehow they appear in the nick of time. Destiny? Probably not. A heightened awareness of your surroundings? Probably. 


What I needed this week was encouragement and I found it through a quote by Tony Robbins: "Progress equals happiness." I thought about it a lot and I couldn't think of an instance when it wasn't true. I think the opposite is also true: Lack of progress equals unhappiness. 


I was feeling low-spirited this week and I wanted to know why. After contacting the publishers with which I had warm introductions, I started researching the ones with no connections. It was a slog with no sense of accomplishment.


Since I am an optimist, my question was, "How to you realize a sense of progress (and happiness) when you're doing mundane tasks that don't appear to be moving you forward? I think the key is how you define progress. The less glamorous or exciting steps are as critical to my success as the more exciting milestones, such as finishing writing or editing. Each step signifies progress. So the tasks of research, cold calling, and customized proposal writing need to be elevated in my eyes so I realize progress and gain happiness from them. Maybe the secret to perpetual encouragement is captured by the adage, "Enjoy all of the sights along the way."


Phil