Trust the Work You’ve Done & Say “Here We Go”

Day of Hope #132 - Wednesday December 13, 2023

Goal: Trust the work I've done, celebrate how far I've come, and be ready for what's next

Quote: “And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Unknown

This was my final Day of Hope for 2023, and I spent part of it doing something that still felt a little surreal.

I was reviewing the final manuscript of A Day of Hope. Final. As in, this was it. After all the writing, editing, reading, rereading, changing, questioning, and having friends and family read through it, I was getting ready to approve the final copy.

And in just a few months, I would officially become a published author. Crazy. Crazy. And so exciting!

One Final Read

I spent the morning organizing a few things and listening to business podcasts before sitting down with my manuscript. I wanted to read through it carefully one more time. This wasn't just another draft. This was the version that would become my book.

There is something both exciting and terrifying about reaching the point when you have to say: It's ready. Because you can always change one more sentence. Move one more paragraph. Question one more word. But eventually, you have to stop editing and trust the work you've done.

Other people had read it. My friends and family had given me feedback. It had been professionally edited. I had put my heart into it. There wasn't anything else to do except take a deep breath and say: Here we go.

Everything was beginning to fall into place. And I was ready.

From Manuscript to Massage

Around noon, I put the book away and headed to Eagle Day Spa for the afternoon. I had scheduled a 90-minute massage with Angel, whom I had met during my September Day of Hope. And once again, the massage was wonderful. Afterward, I had a dermaplaning facial. That part? Not quite as wonderful. Ha!

I reminded myself of something I had been learning: Every day doesn't have to be 100% wonderful to still be a wonderful day.

There will always be 50/50 in everyday some good and some not-so-good. The massage? Definitely in the good category. The facial? We'll put that one in the other category and move along. I wasn't going to let one disappointing experience decide how I felt about the entire day.

Ending the Year My Way

After the spa, I went home and had a wonderful dinner. Then it was time for Hallmark Christmas movies. This time, watching Christmas movies was completely seasonally appropriate. Look at me following the rules. I made my hot-air popcorn, watched another movie, and relaxed. It was a simple ending to a really meaningful day. And a meaningful year.

Ten Years Led to This

As I finished my final Day of Hope of 2023, I couldn't help thinking about where the year had started. January marked ten years of taking one Day of Hope every month. Back in 2013, I wasn't thinking about writing a book. I wasn't thinking about creating Hopes Highways.

I certainly wasn't imagining that ten years later I would be sitting in my own office reviewing the final manuscript of a book about this journey. I was simply trying to find some hope for myself. One day became another. One month became another. One year became another.

And eventually, those individual days became a story. That story became a manuscript. The manuscript became a book. And the lessons I had learned along the way were becoming something I could share with other people.

What started as one day for me had grown into something much bigger than me. And maybe that's what made this final Day of Hope of 2023 so special. I wasn't sitting there wondering anymore: Can I really do this? I was sitting there saying: I did it.

The book wasn't in my hands yet. There was still work ahead. Hopes Highways was still growing. I had plenty of highway left to travel. But for today, I didn't need to race toward the next destination. I could simply look back at the road behind me and appreciate how far I had already come. I'm ready. Here we go.

My Lesson of Hope: There comes a point when you have to stop questioning whether you're ready and trust the work you've already done. Your dream doesn't have to begin with a perfect plan. Mine began with one day. Keep showing up, keep taking the next small step, and keep believing in the future you're creating. One day, you may look back and realize those small choices were building something much bigger all along. And when that moment comes, take a deep breath, trust yourself, and say: Here we go.