The little pictures
This enormous mosaic of happily-ever-after was created one tiny tile at a time.
Cinderella’s castle, Walt Disney World, August 2003
“Change enough of the little pictures, and you’ll find you’ve changed the big picture.”
— Ashleigh Brilliant
For many years — almost since I first discovered Ashleigh’s work in 1990 — I’ve had this quote on my refrigerator door. It reminds me to be patient when results come slowly, and not to feel helpless if I am only able to accomplish small things when I long to achieve great ones. It helps me realize that it’s better to take small steps in faith rather than be overwhelmed by the enormity of any endeavor.
So many remarkable accomplishments involve far more time and work than is understood by those of us who benefit from someone else’s labor of love. Whether it’s a meticulously prepared meal, a colorful mosaic or a soaring cathedral, we tend to spend far less time enjoying it than its creator(s) spent putting it together. That’s natural, of course, but it can build into us a sort of impatience for results that is unrealistic and frustrating when we are the ones expending the effort to build something worthwhile.
If your day involves many tedious or seemingly insignificant tasks, consider that the importance of your tiny brushstrokes may be less obvious because you are unable to see the entire canvas from close range. Eventually, when you are able to step back and see the results of months (or years) of determined diligence from you and others in your world, the beauty of your life may take your breath away.
One year ago today:
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: achievement, cumulative results, diligence, effort, faith, patience, process, small things, steps, time
Defeat Despair 
Good morning, Julia! This post is super insightful! There are so many applications for it. Thanks for yet another gem!
Side note: I think if ever I dreamed of being whisked away on a white horse, it wouldn’t have involved sitting side-saddle….. That does not even look comfortable! LOL
Ah, but appearances can be deceiving. I’m not sure I wouldn’t be sore if I sat for hours astride a horse, either.
True. I would likely be quite sore if I rode a horse for long, no matter how I sat.