The Garden wasn't built Overnight

On letting go of overwhelm

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All too often I find it far too easy to get lost in thoughts of that never-ending to-do list. The tasks we've fallen behind on have an insidious way of dwelling in our subconscious: haunting our senses of purpose, productivity, and satisfaction. A deep sense of overwhelm serves only to create a vicious cycle, however: in that the tighter overwhelm grips us, the more paralyzed we become to take action towards our goals. I'd go as far as to call it a form of self-sabotage: for how it stifles motivation. We only punish ourselves when we lament all that we need to do, but haven't gotten to yet. Try this, instead. Fully celebrate something small you did today. Give yourself a rather-dramatic pat on the back for it. That load of dishes you washed, the friend you finally texted back, that little business task you completed, a single phonecall. Recognize the power in the seemingly mundane- and marvel at the way it is moving you forward. The programming we are trying to overcome here is that small increments of progress aren't as loud. They don't give us as great of a dopamine rush of "success", as much of a "wow, look what I did," in our nervous system as the large steps do. But they are superior, I feel, in the way that the gardener didn't build a magnificent garden overnight. No... It was in the tiny tasks, the ones that felt insignificant. They are where the power rests; they are the catalysts launching your visions into reality. Countless moments of quiet dedication carried out across years, paired with a commitment to fiercely believe in a long term vision even on the days when it feels like it's simmering to life too slowly. I want you to know something... Those few stones you placed on your path today? I am so, truly, proud of you for it. Xoxo, Ash

The home of my Great-Grandmother Clara's brother, Conrad Gorder- where his children (my grandmother Diane's cousins) still reside today. From the front, the home blends in so unsuspectingly with others in its SLC neighborhood. But head into the backyard, and you're sure to have your breath taken away by the expanses of Cousin Carl's orchards, gardens, wells, and workshops... A lifetime of incremental progress.