A simple—and hopefully simplifying—question:
What's possible, today?
Not what will you be able to do next year once you have a bit more experience or next month when you finish that certification or next week when the invoice gets paid…
What's possible here, now, with who you are and what you currently have.
The more honest we can be about this, the more reasonable we can be with our self-expectation and the more trust we can build in ourselves as a result (because we're no longer putting 20 things on our list and only crossing off 2…or expecting 3 years of growth to happen in 3 months).
A few ways you could apply this:
What's one thing I can do today to pitch or promote my work? Is there an email I can send, a gallery I can have a conversation with, a previous client I can reach out to, a reminder I can share to social media… What energy and time do I have, and what's one small thing I trust myself to do given that capacity?
How can I make myself 5% more comfortable? Adjust the lighting, put on my favourite sweater, make some tea, put a hot water bottle behind my back, pull that favourite trinket on my desk a little closer to me… What would feel physically or environmentally fortifying?
What is one act of care I can do for myself or others? Go for a stroll around the block, wash the dishes in the sink, bring some food to a community fridge, donate to my local food bank…
No act of care exists in isolation (h/t
Renelyn Quinicot).
The reality is we probably can't get all of what we want, right now. We will always be wanting. But that wanting doesn't have to stop us from acting.
It can be such a trap—and a lingering symptom of perfectionism—to think we can’t experience any of something unless we can experience ALL of something.
No, perhaps we can't leave the job right now or let go of that client or end a war, but we can access some of whatever we think those goals and dreams would give us—freedom, self-respect, dignity and care for all…
Possibility is a practice.
Any action in the direction of what's important to you is powerful.
Where do you have choice, today.
What is possible for you, today.
Start there. It's enough.
— Kate
