Step by Step

 The French moralist and essayist, Joseph Joubert, once wrote, "Completion is made up of little things." Interestingly, the German translation of the word "completion" is "die Vollendung", which may be translated as either "completion"or "perfection". Which to me are quite different things... it is possible to complete something by doing many "little things" but perfection is rarely attainable.

It is a well-known maxim that any journey starts with a single step. Which is often the most difficult one to make. Think about driving a car: it takes more engine power to move the car from stationary to moving, than it does to move it from slower to quicker. And, once we have taken that vital first step, subsequent steps somehow seem easier.

It can be both exciting and daunting to begin a new project. On the one hand, we are excited about the new idea that has seized our imagination and are full of enthusiasm to get on with it. On the other, if we make the mistake of looking up from what we are doing at that moment and see how very far we still have to go, we may become discouraged and wonder whether we will ever get there.

So perhaps it is best to concentrate only on the next step, whatever the next step might be - to walk an extra 500 steps today, or write a scene of the novel, or find some readings or prayers for a service (to use some common "next steps" from my own life). 

And yet, once we reach the last part of a project, we can be infused by an impatience to complete it. Which may mean that the last few "things" are scamped, rushed, not done with as much care as the rest. Which I believe is a mistake. It can be difficult to bring the same amount of concentration and dedication to each step as we did to the previous one (or hundred, or thousand) but if we are to attain a good completion, it is worth it.

And, if we are lucky, the prospect of a solid finish line may restore some lost enthusiasm. I can remember running the London Marathon in 2004. My running partner and I were struggling from miles 17 to 23, and wondered whether we would ever get there. But once we got near the end, I can remember how excited I felt and found the energy from somewhere for a final burst of speed to take me over the finish line.

Truly, any completion is built on many little things. Our job is to do each little thing as well as we can, so that when we reach the completion point, we can rest, knowing that we have given it our best.