When are difficult things easy? Can difficult things be easy?
When are great things small? Can great things be small?
In Chinese prophet Lao-tzu’s 64th verse, a translation reads:
“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
Do we heed these words? I wonder.
As a tower starts with one brick, a tree grows from one seedling, so does a journey begin with one sunrise. Perhaps, difficult things can begin easy, great things start small.
As I begin a journey of a thousand miles, I have mixed feelings: excitement and elation, terror and fear. I feel as though there are ten-thousand miles to go. Yet, I have begun. I’ve taken a step forward, small and great; easy and difficult.
With each step I take, I feel excited and vulnerable. The uncertainty of potential outcomes haunt and drive me forward. Most days, I am driven and inspired with a vision to contribute and influence change in my world.
I’m dancing on the edge. I’m on the edge of something quite familiar. Change. I’m on the edge of something new. Change.
Change isn’t new to me yet, the experience of this particular change is new. Suffice it to say, there are difficult things and with that, great things on the horizon. With every step I take, one deliberate and determined step at a time, I dance.
I dance on the edge between fear and excitement, terror and elation. I acknowledge the fear. The fear reminds me of what I want and don’t want. And, what drives me onward and forward is the hope and excitement of seeing a vision come alive. With each new change, I am driven to lead: to create, innovate and build. With each brick and seedling come great and surprising new experiences, relationships and rewards. As each sunset gives me rest, I look forward to the sunrise to come.
Life brings change. I’ve learned that facing each path of a change journey one piece at a time helps me meet the difficult with resolve, the great with reverence.
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