One Foot In Front Of The Other

Maybe you’ve been hearing a lot of constructive (or otherwise) criticism of an idea or project.

Maybe part of your brain has been telling you that you are too tired, too overwhelmed.

That’s just noise. Put on your blinders and take one step forward today, and another tomorrow. It’s all forward momentum.

I had a question about our farm the other day and couldn’t answer it. Now, this was a question for myself (not one that anyone asked me) and had to do with our progress. I just had a terrible feeling that we weren’t doing well enough! So – I downloaded EVERY SINGLE SALE we made since we started. I organized the data and stretched my rusty spreadsheet skills.

I had to ask for a few pointers along the way to get it all done, but I was able to answer my big question – “Are we ok? Am I ok? Are we growing??” Days feel hard, days feel busy. They can feel disconnected and disjointed. Can you relate??

It’s hard for us to step back from ourselves and to see the big picture. It’s not a failing, it’s just a skill to teach ourselves and to practice every day.

And guess what – with the spreadsheet and a trendline (refreshed math vocab thanks to my favorite math-loving friend!) in front of me, I could use the data points to prove to my own brain that what I was feeling was just that – a feeling. Not reality. That little spreadsheet showed GROWTH! And in that moment, I knew – we are ok. I am ok.

That little line represents so much more than an interpretation of data points. It represents physical, mental, and emotional work by Todd and me (emphasis on the latter two!), and it represents relationships that we’ve built with all of you – those of you that open emails, like our posts, and dive into the blog. It represents those of you that purchase food and graciously offer feedback. It represents our vision moving forward, with us and you working together to better our farm, our little piece of the planet!

That little line, and the bits of time I took over the course of a month to get it all put together, represents gratitude. It is flowing out of me today, and I want all of you to know that you are a part of this farm and vision!

I hope that you can also take a step back today and see what it is that makes you proud of yourself. Progress is always a reason for celebration. As for Todd and me – we raided the freshly-stocked freezer and we’ll be eating steaks tonight!