As I was flying back from a conference in Tulsa yesterday, I looked up from the book I was reading to glance out the window. 

As some part of Oklahoma or Texas slid by beneath me, I noticed the clouds. Not sunset-stained clouds. Not impressive, stacked, mountainous clouds. Just little puffs here and there.  One close to the plane, one a bit further than that, and then more and more floating closer and closer together. 

Maybe it’s because I was reading Tribes by Seth Godin, or maybe it would have come to me anyway, but looking at those little white puffs of clouds brought a thought to mind. 

When you’re working for something, when you’re building something, when you’re fixing something, sometimes it seems like the ‘win’ moments are few and far between. There’s nothing but lots of empty space between each victory, each step in the right direction. 

But that’s just because you’re looking at it from that one little cloud. Looking straight out from there, all you see is that space between your current win and that next right step. 

When you change your perspective though, when you’re able to get above the day-to-day of it all, you can see how those small sporadic beginnings do gain momentum. The wins – whether they’re clients booked, deals closed, paintings sold, or lessons taught – they will get closer and closer together. 

So if you’re fighting an uphill battle on a project at work, if you’re feeling like you’ll never teach your child all the lessons they must learn, if you’re feeling like you’ll never be able to take your dream full time, just take a cue from the clouds. 

Keep hustling. Keep trying. Keep connecting, and pretty soon your momentum will pick up.