The cool thing about hard work: when you are working on something big, you sometimes feel too busy to be impressed. The work is too important. You know that the outcome may never happen if you stop the work to admire what is in process. But in those infrequent moments when you cross that finish line – a milestone in your child’s life, a finished book, the signed contract, the promotion – you have what I call a sensational moment.

I can think of a few sensational moments I’ve had in my lifetime. The day I graduated high school; the day I got married; all those times we had a baby, when I published my first book. The feeling is “Wow. We did it.!” Satisfaction, awe, appreciation.

The thing about sensational moments is that you cannot live for them. They happen so infrequently that if you are living life between those sought after feelings of achievement and relief, you will be disappointed. Instead of becoming addicted to sensational moments, which make up less than 5% of life’s experiences, it is better to cherish the work, the mission, the process (the highs and lows). When joy comes from the process, the sensational moments, those unexpected feelings of euphoria, are simply the icing on the cake.

Let your good work bring you joy each day.

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Leadership Empowerment