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Bird by Bird

Dan Cullum · May 5, 2020 ·

At the beginning of 2019, my team at Bulb had a daunting challenge ahead. We were new to each other, new to the subject matter, and we faced tight timelines.

It was easy to feel stressed and overwhelmed.

I remember finding solace in Anne Lamott’s 4 sentence short story.

“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'”

I find it amazing that Anne is able to say more about grit, patience, and perseverance in 4 sentences than a mountain of self-help books.

This story resonated throughout 2019, and it still reminds me on a regular basis to approach every challenge and task day-by-day and step-by-step.

I hope it helps and inspires you, too.

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