I have been somewhat obsessed these last two weeks with the idea that initiating action, however small, can reliably produce surprisingly positive results.

In his tragic masterpiece, Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe captures this truth as beautifully as anyone:

Are you in earnest? seize this very minute—
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Only engage, and then the mind grows heated—
Begin it, and then the work will be completed.

(John Alster, Translator)

But what to do when, despite initial efforts, the work is not magically completed? What if the work is hard? Continue reading →