Yesterday I was introduced to the concept of edge work, the idea that we work away at the edges of an issue and gradually, over time, effect significant change. There was only one problem with this concept as far as I can see, that is the marketer who introduced this idea to me clearly has far more patience and zen-like abilities than I do.
So, how do impatient people who want everything done right about yesterday in one big glorious change revolution derive satisfaction from this inching almost imperceptibly closer to the goal?
I talked to a friend about it later in the evening and they came up with a very unlikely answer. WeightWatchers.
Huh? How is a weight loss programme going to teach me to be satisfied with moving at the pace of a heavily tranquilised snail? Her answer was this:
At WeightWatchers they ask you not to try and weigh yourself every day, but to wait for the weekly group weigh-ins. The reason for this is that your weight fluctuates daily even though it is ultimately on a downward trajectory. If you look every day you see ups and downs and get demotivated with the whole effort.
By monitoring your progress over a longer period, you see it for what it really is. Progress in the right direction. To help me understand she showed me her week to week chart; the line wasn't straight (in fact sometimes it was pretty flat and sometimes moving significantly downwards) but the direction was clear.
So there you have it; set a goal, set sensible increments to check your progress against it and board the train for zen-like patience and deep satisfaction in what you have acheived. (I'll let you know how it goes!)
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