Does life seem to overwhelm you at times?

Does it seem there are not enough hours in the day for you to complete all of your daily task(s)?

Have you found yourself burdened down, feeling as if you are unproductive, and never going to be a success?

Just the other day, I was having a conversation with a friend who stated to me, “Girl, you are doing your thing and building your empire, one brick at a time”. It wasn’t until I heard that statement in reference to me, that I realized, even on my most unproductive day, I am very productive.

Being productive is all in how we define it. Merriam Dictionary provides a very simple definition of productive as “working hard and getting results”. Results can be positive and/or negative. Ultimately, it comes down to how hard we are working and what we are gaining from the work that we are doing. It’s a cause and effect relationship. If I work hard, something will be gained.

“What is gained?” you may ask.

The answer to such question is this. Life lessons are gained. Lessons, which teach us more about ourselves, about others, and about life. Of course, at the time, is does not seem as if we are learning anything positive. It mostly seems that everything is negative in nature. We beat ourselves up. We second-guess our abilities. We are quick to give up on ourselves. We fail to see the silver-lining in the clouds. Yet, we are learning at the same time; our level of strength, courage, dedication and commitment; how passionate we are, and even what our purpose is.

As professional women, we have to take the time to recognize that every day is not going to be a good day. We are not going to achieve all of our task and/or goals that we set out to complete, however, that does not mean we haven’t been productive. Each day we get up and put in work towards the task and goals we have identified for ourselves, we have been productive. I had to learn that it was and is the small things that matter the most. It is the small things that lead to bigger things. If I can learn to appreciate the small things, I will experience a greater level of satisfaction.

As I am writing this, I am reminded of the story about the “Three Little Pigs”. I can only imagine how the third pig felt when he noticed that while building his house with bricks, the other two pigs had quickly finished their homes with straws and sticks.

How easy it would have been if the third pig decided to take the quick and easy way out, like the other two pigs, yet he chose otherwise. At the end of the story, it was the third pig home, the one built with bricks that was not destroyed; leaving the other two pigs to start their building over, after the big bad wolf had blown their homes away.

The third pig reaped the benefits of being productive daily and building his home in the way he desire. What seems tedious and hard, at times, come with the most amazing rewards.

Productivity comes with feelings of stress and being overwhelmed. Every day is not going to be a good day. There are days when you are going to feel frustrated and cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Trust me when I say, all is not lost.

Stay the course and maintain your focus.

Right around the corner, success is definitely lurking.

Anything worth having is worth working hard for.

Do not give up.

Remember, you are building your empire, one brick at a time.