Looking for that wave every day

Time in Hartenbos, South Africa 10:41pm 
Time in Los Angeles, USA        01:41pm

Weather forecast for Hartenbos, South Africa for Monday 21 October 2013:  23C / 74F
Weather forecast for Los Angeles, USA:  23C / 74F

Sometimes it happens that you think about your goal, your calling, where you want to end up - all that you want to accomplish - and the "size" of it hits you like a wave you didn't see (or something discouraging happens).  It takes your feet clear out from under you and while you're flat on your back or being mulled around by this wave, your thoughts get out of control.  You think that you were crazy for even thinking that what you want to do can be done - it's just too much or to unlikely that you will ever succeed.  This line of thought can easily drown your motivation - deadening it by overwhelming you with how unattainable your goal seems. You might even end up so beaten up by this wave that you decide you might as well give up on the whole thing.

What I've learned is that this can not always be prevented, because a lot of times it hits you unexpectedly, but you can deal with it effectively.  What helps me is focusing on doing what I can every day.  This means you are moving forward every day, progressing every day towards your goal and this helps you to combat those thoughts that tell you you will never reach your big end goal, you're getting no where - now you can tell them to look at the progress you're making every single day.  This is not only a great motivator, it actually keeps you moving forward and even if it is little steps, it's progress.  You can not call yourself a surfer if you don't paddle out whenever you can and take a wave or two, perfect or not.

For other writers:  this is especially effective and I think important for us, because, ideally, you need to stay in contact with your story on a daily basis anyway.  I once read a great tip to help with this from Jerry Seinfeld on the internet ( I don't have the specific reference anymore): take one of those laminated calenders that show the whole year and make a mark (tick or cross) for every day you worked on your writing project and challenge yourself to see how many days in a row you can manage.

Finally, on a more personal level, I have also found that staying connected to your motivation for doing what you're doing, keeps things in perspective and keeps you motivated - stay tapped into that.  

Surf's up, get out there.