We live in a highly produced culture. We’re bombarded with shabby befores snapping to swoonworthy afters. The upgrades are instantaneous, only adding to their impressiveness.

We expect our personal transformations to happen as rapidly.

We want the results now. We want our current discomfort, our hang-ups, and our emotional turmoil to be dispelled in the span of an HGTV episode. We evaluate our goals impatiently. We wonder how everyone else is managing to pull off overnight success.

We become so focused on results that we minimize the significance of the small yet valuable steps we make in the right direction. 

In any endeavor, whether it’s getting our spaces in order or achieving career success or healing from loss, progress is key.

We must decide that what we’re aiming for is worthwhile and believe in the efficacy of our efforts, because progress is often so subtle that it’s imperceptible.

It’s only later, maybe in a few months, or even years down the road, that we’ll realize we were advancing all along.

As time ticks by and we keep showing up to do the work that needs doing, we move, grow, mature, process, and weave together seemingly disparate dots.

Celebrating progress allows us to appreciate our present circumstances and enjoy the unfolding of our lives.