The Art to Connecting the Dots

When I was a little girl I used to love to do a Connect-a-Dot.

Connect-a-Dot was series of dots on a piece of paper with numerals next to them. The aim of the exercise was to draw a line connecting the dots one by one, making sure their numerals were in consecutive order. . . starting with no.1, then no. 2, no. 3 and so on. As you continued around the page connecting the dots, a picture began to form right in front of your eyes.  

The older I get I realise how life is much the same. 

We can vaguely see a picture of what we would like to do with our lives, but at first there seems to be no lines, no clear absolute paths directing us into our future. At times it feels as though we are doing it blind until we see that there are dots up ahead, like lamp posts on a dark night lighting the way. 

Our journey begins at Dot No.1. We discover both some strengths, and some things we are not so good at, and with tentative steps we move towards Dot No.2.  Once we reach No.2 we make a few more discoveries, move on to Dot No. 3 and the picture becomes a little clearer.

This process is a gradual process. Sometimes we wonder if we are on the right track. The Dots seem to be in unexpected places, and it takes courage to move forward, to take the next step. Sometimes fear of taking a wrong turn, or impatience, can immobilize us.

But always remember : a masterpiece takes time to complete. Mistakes that are made along the way can be corrected, with lessons learned. And sometimes taking time out to reflect on the journey so far can help us refocus on the things that are really important.

There is much to learn on our journey between the Dots – more wisdom, more patience, more human connections, more affirmation about where we want to go.

Maybe you are at Dot No.1 and you are battling the courage to take the first step.

Or maybe you have been journeying along the motherhood-business road for a while, and are feeling frustrated that you haven’t achieved your dreams and goals yet.

My encouragement to you today is this: keep going! Keep Connecting the Dots! Even if you feel like you are doing it blind – keep taking one step at a time because in the end it will all make sense.

Be at peace with the knowledge that the Big Picture takes time to produce. So why not take the time today to look back on your journey so far and congratulate yourself for how far you have come!

Love, River XO