Consistently Consistent
“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” – Mary Oliver
Who would have imagined all those years ago when I set out to write my very first Victory Letter that I would still be writing these words of inspiration to you all these years later. This week marks the 18th year!
If you can bear with me, this week’s letter is a tad longer than usual to mark this occasion and it seemed like a good time to make some changes.
So many letters (936 approx.) and so many life events later what I know to be true is the importance today, as when I started, of taking a closer look at life’s lessons and allow them to inspire us. To use the crevices of our minds to imagine and create words that weren’t there before. To look for the victories in our lives both big and small.
To stretch yourself to create even when you might not feel like it in the moment. To be consistent in your work so that you can remain in the flow of creativity.
When I began writing this letter we had just experienced the downfall that came with the Dot Com bust of 2001 soon followed by the unthinkable events of 9/11. I needed to write the words as much as my readers needed to read them. The bond was quick and real.
Since that time, I have written two books from the contents and stayed connected with so many special people (yourself included) through the words, thoughts and ideas of this letter.
Here is what I have found about consistency, writing, fully committing to creating on a regular basis, and what I believe to be the most important message for today’s momentous occasion…
A lot of our best stuff lies beneath the surface. In our fast-paced lives with the need for instant gratification we can lose out on the juicy elements within us that take time and ongoing focused effort.
While you think you may have given something your all, when you dig a little deeper or even wait out something to its fruition some pretty amazing things can almost magically happen. In fact, Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Big Magic believes it is magic.
Another example of this happened about a week ago while I was still in California. My husband texted me a picture (today’s picture) of a yellow Iris that was growing in our driveway. Maybe not miraculous in itself (even though I think all flowers are miracles) the fact is that in the 26 years we have lived in this house that Iris has never bloomed.
The purple Iris’s near it bloomed but never a yellow one. I believe this flower was just waiting below the surface to come to life when it was the right time. The right time was that day.
What is lying beneath your surface that consistency would allow you to further bloom?
What is something you have been dreaming about but not doing anything about or staying focused long enough on to make it happen?
You could argue that the yellow iris didn’t need me to bloom, heck I wasn’t even in Colorado when it bloomed. But by hanging around on this property, enjoying, and creating all the other realms of our home when this beauty did arrive it was just a wonderful bonus.
With consistency we also need to learn to be flexible. Not so long ago I changed the mailing of the Victory Letter from Monday to Sundays. The idea was to allow those who wanted to get a jump start by getting the inspiration a bit earlier than the busyness of Monday to do so. This change has been well received and so that change will remain.
By an unexpected turn of events I also started recording this letter with extra goodies as part of my ongoing podcast. Sometimes it’s just me and sometimes I bring on a guest. If you haven’t taken a listen make today the day because I share a lot more about this journey and the power of consistency. Take a listen above.
With today’s words I have been playing with the idea of sending this letter every other week as opposed to weekly. As time has marched on I realize that your inbox is fuller than it used to be, and my hope is that you will make the time to read each one when these letters do arrive less often. Or, perhaps you will miss the weekly reminder to be inspired? I would love your feedback about this change.
Please keep in mind that I have also begun to post daily inspirations on Instagram @VictoryGirl. In my Instagram stories each day for the past 6 months or so I have been throwing out a daily word to ponder along with some thoughts or question to go along with it.
My time on Instagram allows me to also share my photography which has become another creative muscle I love to stretch. If you haven’t followed me on Instagram yet … please do and watch for my smiling face at the top of your feed waiting to inspire you.
On this auspicious 18th anniversary of bringing an idea to life I celebrate our travels together in whatever form they have taken. Here’s to us!
To Your Success and Victories,
- Cheri
Cheri Ruskus, Business Growth Coach
cheri@businessvictories.com • 303-652-1718 • @victorygirl
New clients start here: businessvictories.com/clarity
Join the Victory Program
Gain confidence and clarity in your business
Need more help with your goals? It’s time to get the confidence and clarity you desire for your business. Hire me as your business coach and in return I’ll provide the strategy, support, and accountability to take your business to the next level in the year ahead. After joining this program you will get instant access to all of my online courses and will be able to schedule your first meeting as soon as next week!
How the program works: we meet twice every month via phone/skype to discuss your pain points along with custom solutions to resolve them. I’ll provide simple homework for you and your team to execute in order to achieve the complex results you desire. This is for committed entrepreneurs only and space is extremely limited. Let’s partner up!
Have a few questions first?
Schedule a 15-minute phone conversation
