Improvement is an inglorious, never-ending grind.

It feels great to escape by daydreaming a world of effortless achievement, or psyching myself up and having a few extremely productive and focused days. But inevitably, after the emotional high of the daydreams or the burst of productive inspiration wears off, the hour arrives when I don’t want to do any of the shit I said I was going to do.

Tips for stopping this perfectionist escape cycle and squaring up to reality:

• You are never 100% ready. You probably aren’t feeling it, and you certainly don’t have it all figured out, but go for it.
• Momentum and habit make things a little easier; they can lessen the edge of challenges.
• Regularly carve out time to find inspiration and appreciation. Stay in touch with what keeps you going.
• Patiently let the process play out. Progress is often slow and difficult; try not to let eagerness exhaust or stall you.

Endless demands, endless rewards.