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The Tortoise Always Wins

Melissa Beene Ford/ Uncategorized

One reason I stopped writing this blog was because I was telling myself the lie that I didn’t have time to do it.

While it’s true that I have more on my plate than some, being a single mom who works two jobs and is single-handedly raising a multitude of children (two teenagers + Susie counts as a ‘multitude’), it’s also true that people have managed to accomplish some things in a very limited amount of time each day.

This was driven home to me recently by an influential person in my life.

I was whining to my chiropractor/friend, Dr. Hubert, about not having time to work out or meal prep, and he reprimanded me harshly about how LITTLE time it takes to actually do those things, and how MUCH you can get done in a mere 20 minutes a day. And every single person can find 20 minutes a day, he said.

He went on to lecture me sternly about priorities and consistency and how you’re even moving toward a goal or moving away from it. There is no standing still. It’s easy to spend five minutes a day moving toward your goal, and it’s also easy not to.

A client of his wrote a book in five minutes a day. Literally, set a timer for five minutes, wrote until a timer went off, then put the pen down. Two years later, a book was published. That spoke to me, man.

I tend to think if I can’t do something perfectly, I don’t want to do it at all. I’ll wait until I CAN do it exactly right. I won’t get started until I can carve out a perfect three-hour block of quiet time in which to ponder, and then churn out a stellar blog post that will, of course, go viral, because it resonates with everyone who reads it.

I mean, what are the odds of a single mom of three who works two jobs, finding a quiet three-hour block of time? Maybe between 2-5am, sometime in September 2037… 

The tortoise always wins, Dr. Hubert said.

Studies have been done.

It’s been proven.

More can be accomplished in small efforts, repeated consistently over time, than can be done in a one large crash-blast of activity.

That convicted me. Since that come-to-Jesus meeting with Dr. Hubert, ‘consistency‘ has become the goal for me, whether it’s exercise, healthy eating, building my business, or… writing this blog.

My new goal is to write for fifteen minutes a day. That’s it. My alarm will go off at the same time each day, and I will type out some words on this blog, and quit after fifteen minutes.

I will hit ‘publish’ when a post is done, whether that post takes one day or 172. The struggle for me will be in just going with it… typing what comes to mind, and restraining the urge to edit it into ‘perfection.’ No editing or deleting after I hit ‘publish.’ Yikes.

Even if nobody likes it. Yeah, I said that.

Even if nobody likes it, Melissa.

It will make me a better writer.

So there you have it… my first fifteen-minute blog post. Turns out, it can be done.

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Comments

  1. JACQUELYN says

    May 2, 2019 at 5:21 am

    L.O.V.E. this. Needed this today…and I didn’t have to wait until 2037. Thank you for that.

    Reply

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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in an 80-year-old house completely worth it … what broken pipes, icy hardwood floors and drafty windows? 🤔 I forgot already. #comeonspring #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Happy Saturday ☀️ Happy Saturday ☀️
Salt Lake City is always magical ✨ Salt Lake City is always magical ✨
2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
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That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
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It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
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Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
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Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
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Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
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I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
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How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
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It’s the goal, though. 
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This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
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I’m working on both.
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