“Don’t let your reflections on the whole sweep of life crush you. Don’t fill your mind with all the bad things that might still happen. Stay focussed on the present situation and ask yourself why it’s so unbearable and can’t be survived.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the grand scheme of things. Like the old English song “There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza”, you can get into the trap of seeing all problems linked together in a cause-and-effect chain that only ever becomes more complex. “If only this wasn’t the case” and “Yeah, but…” become common trains of thought and expression.
At what point do you stop the catastrophising and take responsibility for your actions? Change your wide-angle shot to a close-up and see life in all its rich and magnificent detail. The journey to big achievements begins with little steps. Focus on the present – at the smallest detail – and take notice. Then take action.
