Expect the dip

Every journey has a dip, which Seth Godin describes as “the long slow slog between starting and mastery”.

Consider a marathon by analogy, which is generally pretty exciting to start and perhaps even more exciting towards the end.

But the middle is rough — the end is nowhere near in sight. It’s not just a physical struggle at the point, but a psychological one as well.

When you’re in the dip, you might think your hard work is going nowhere in the same way you might feel as if the finish line is never coming because it’s too far away to see.

Not true.

No one who goes to the gym for a day experiences immediate changes in their physique, but give it a year of consistent exercise and the differences become apparent.

Great things take time.

Expect the dip — every worthwhile journey one.

And, trust the process. Better yet, learn to find joy in it so that every day you can appreciate and experience the step forward that it is.