Little by Little

Some days or events aremore productive than other days or events, yet the last thing we need to do ismeasure our failure or success on the performance of any given day or event.  We'd be all over the scale if we did.  There are days and events whenreally BIG things happen, and then there are days and events when hardlyANYTHING happens.  But neither means theday or event has been successful or unsuccessful.  It's often in those hardly anything moments where I plant the seeds that are harvested in those really big moments.  Both areequally important, and our eyes being set on the bigger picture is also just asimportant.
I'm currently on a booktour.  It's not as elaborate of a tour asI'd like to have, where I travel all over the world and meet new readers acrossthe globe, jet-setting from one city to the next.  I'd LOVE to feel bad at being in such demandthat I CAN'T reach every city.  However, thecamp I'm currently in can only afford to branch out as far as $4/gallon of gaswill get me, which isn't very far at all. Importantly, I don't gauge the success of my author appearances based onthe number of books I've sold or how many people show up to the event.  Often times I've made the best contacts onappearances when there were only a few people, giving me more time to network andexpress ideas, which have led to other opportunities.  But, it is nice to have a large crowd andsell a lot of books.  These appearances arereally some of the few opportunities writers get to receive praise andappreciation, along with some compensation, for all their hard work. Most of their time is spent in isolation with their imaginations.  Social media is helping with easing a bit ofthat isolation on one hand, yet at the same time creating more on the other,but that's a different topic for another day.
I've learned that I can'twait on big moments to move.  I've foundthat if I take a step every day, if I move little by little, then I move closer andcloser toward my dream.  I can lookbehind me and see I've traveled quite far.  I can look ahead of me and see I'm closer to mygoal.  THAT is worth celebrating.  THAT is what I consider success.  I may not be moving faster than a speedingbullet, but I am moving in the right direction. 
So, celebrate yoursuccesses today, all of them – both big and small.  Don't worry about when the next big momentwill come, just enjoy it when it does. Don't fret over those small unseemly moments, because they're biggerthan you think. 
Till next time,~T.L. Gray