Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. When it comes to creating the life you want, these are very simple guidelines to follow. But don’t mistake simple for easy. There’s a reason why everyone doesn’t grind or hustle for their dreams. It’s.not.easy. We all know that “slow and steady wins the race”. I was reminded of this during a recent training call where everyone remembered the important moral of the Tortoise and the Hare story. When you use what you have, to do what you can, you will inevitably get to where you want to be.
Sometimes it may mean starting over from scratch. Sometimes it may be taking a detour. Sometimes you may have to take a pause. It doesn’t mean that you won’t get there, it just means that it won’t always be easy. But the promise when you’re following your purpose is that it will be worth it.
Don’t worry about what you don’t have. Don’t worry about where the perfect starting point is. Don’t even worry about what skills you may be lacking. Just work with what you’ve got and learn as you go. Rock it out!
27 Comments
Holly
January 12, 2015 at 12:07 PMThis is very true. Plus everything is in the timing. Sometimes you have to back track or make a different move to put you on a path you want or are supposed to be on. Anything worth something isn’t easy.
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Christine St.Vil
January 12, 2015 at 10:13 PMHey Holly, thanks so much! I think sometimes when we’re forced to take a different path, we tend to get discouraged, but that’s not always a bad thing 🙂
Vashti (veepeejay.com)
January 12, 2015 at 1:03 PMSo true Christine! I’m currently making a slight detour, but I’m starting where I am and going from there. Have a great week 🙂
Christine St.Vil
January 12, 2015 at 10:14 PMYessss!!! I love it Vashti! Keep pushing and keep moving, you’ll get there 🙂 Have a great week as well!
Khloé Gee
January 12, 2015 at 7:46 PMSlow and steady does win the race for me! I believe that everything that is GREAT takes time and lots of hard work. Thanks for reminding me of this.
Khloe Gee
http://www.touchedmagazine.com
Siobhan (BeFree Project
January 12, 2015 at 2:49 PMThis post is so true and it’s a good reminder that I need to revisit often. Christine, I love how you said there is a difference between simple and easy. I know oh so well that creating the life I want to live is not easy but it’s definitely worth it. I appreciate this post! 🙂
http://www.befreeproject.com
Christine St.Vil
January 12, 2015 at 7:42 PMThanks so much Siobhan! I definitely had to learn the difference between simple and easy because it’s so easy to get discouraged when something doesn’t happen like you think it should.
Kim
January 12, 2015 at 4:55 PMWe should never despise our small beginnings. There is great value to the lessons taught and learned right where we are. My goal is to seek contentment in every leg of the journey which I believe will make each step more fulfilling.
Christine St.Vil
January 12, 2015 at 7:41 PMI love that Kim “seek contentment in every leg of the journey”. That is so important, thanks so much for sharing!
Carin Kilby Clark
January 12, 2015 at 8:21 PMLove it! I need to remind myself of this… I’ve hopefully taken my final detour but I’ve definitely gone in a million different directions since I began… BUT, I’m learning along the way and as you stated – it’s not a race.. 😉
Christine St.Vil
January 14, 2015 at 1:23 AMYou’re definitely NOT alone Carin! Whew, I lost track of how many detours I’ve taking but I like the road I’m currently on 🙂 And I love that…it’s definitely not a race 😉
Tiffani G. from MyMommyVents
January 12, 2015 at 9:36 PMChristine, I definitely needed to hear/read this today. It can feel frustrating to not be where you want to be–but I know that as long as I keep working at it, I’ll get there. Thanks for the inspiration!
Christine St.Vil
January 14, 2015 at 1:25 AMI’m so glad to hear this was helpful for you Tiffani! I definitely hope this encouraged you to not only keep going, but to know you’re definitely not alone. There can be many pathways that lead to the same place and our job is to stay the course until we get to where we want/need to be 🙂
Adanna
January 12, 2015 at 9:39 PMThanks for such an inspiring message on a Monday! My motto is use what I have to get what I want. As you said it’s not always easy but it’s better than doing nothing at all.
Adanna would like you to check out…Yummy Warm Salad Recipe #QuakerUp
Christine St.Vil
January 12, 2015 at 10:15 PMI completely agree Adanna! That’s definitely a great motto to live by 🙂
Christine St.Vil
January 13, 2015 at 3:12 AMI agree Khloe! Sometimes we just need reminders 🙂
MJ
January 13, 2015 at 8:26 AMI’m on my detour right now and although I have a long way to go, I know I am in a much better place for my life and my family. There are detours for a reason!
Christine St.Vil
January 13, 2015 at 11:29 PMYes indeed MJ! Enjoy the ride and take notes along your detour. So glad to hear you’re in a much better place because that’s all we want for our families 🙂
Raven Robinson
January 13, 2015 at 2:41 PMLove it! I think when we focus on starting rather than making excuses for why we can't, we realize that we have a LOT more to work with than we thought. It's nice to have these gentle nudges to get moving and ROCK ON! 🙂
Christine St.Vil
January 13, 2015 at 11:19 PMYessss Raven!!! Often times we DO know a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. I also think that we use the excuse of not knowing enough because there’s fear in whatever that next step is that we need to take. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy T Laws
January 13, 2015 at 3:03 PMI love the idea of using what you have! There is nothing you can do about what you have no control over…
Nancy
January 13, 2015 at 10:04 AMI love the idea of using what you have! There is nothing you can do about what you have no control over…
Christine St.Vil
January 13, 2015 at 11:20 PMSo true Nancy! I was just reading a devotional of Joyce Meyer’s where she said she got into the habit of saying “oh well” whenever something happened that was beyond her control but that most people would get into a panic or frenzy about. I’m going to try to start doing that 🙂
Bernetta
January 13, 2015 at 8:50 PMI agree. Going for your dreams are harder than people think but could be so much easier if we were taught to go right for our dreams from the get go. Instead wait until we have kids & responsibilities … but it’s all possible!!
Bernetta would like you to check out…6 Things My Husband Does to Turn Me On (That He Doesn’t Even Know)
Christine St.Vil
January 13, 2015 at 11:21 PMGirl…there are soooo many things I would tell my younger self…starting with this. But now we have the power to change the conversation with our children so they don’t repeat the cycle.
Christine St.Vil
January 14, 2015 at 6:07 AMYessss Raven!!! Often times we DO know a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. I also think that we use the excuse of not knowing enough because there’s fear in whatever that next step is that we need to take. Thanks for sharing!
Christine St.Vil
January 14, 2015 at 6:07 AMSo true Nancy! I was just reading a devotional of Joyce Meyer’s where she said she got into the habit of saying “oh well” whenever something happened that was beyond her control but that most people would get into a panic or frenzy about. I’m going to try to start doing just that 🙂