Baby Steps

I received this email in my inbox this morning from Lynn Cutts from the Weekly Challengers found at the Manage Your Muse Blog.

Baby Steps
"When you're trying to make, and keep, a New Year's resolution, it helps to focus on one small step at a time. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Choose one small action that you know you can do successfully, do it for three or four weeks, and then increase it or add another. That way you're building on success instead of courting failure.
Until next week, may the Muse live happily in your heart, and may passion bloom in your soul,
Lynn"

This email arrived on a perfect morning, one where I find myself re-assessing goals and dreams and thinking about what I want from my year ahead. It really made me think specifically about my plan to participate in Project 365 this year. This is a big goal for me as I am the type of person who tires of routine and daily things I feel as if I "must" do. It is one I have set though as I want to document and record my time spent, special details of my children's lives, my thoughts and my feelings. These photos I take daily will help me to do that, they will help my family and myself to remember.
This morning I was beating myself up over the fact that I did not take pictures this weekend. Reality is my anxiety levels were at a max and I just didn't feel like taking pictures, I didn't feel like recording any moment from my weekend.
This morning I felt like I had failed at my project already.
Then I read this email and my mood and my expectations of myself changed. I no longer feel as if I failed at my project, now I feel as if I took a much needed few days off and am now back and have already taken my pictures today. I'll just move forward and remind myself that there will be days I just won't take pictures. And that's alright.