"And when you really get it right, even the hardest things become manageable. Because the process is relaxing. Under its influence, we needn’t panic. **Even mammoth tasks become just a series of component parts.** "This was what the great nineteenth-century pioneer of meteorology, [[James Pollard Espy]], was shown in a chance encounter as a young man. Unable to read and write until he was eighteen, Espy attended a rousing speech by the famous orator [[Henry Clay]]. After the talk, a spellbound Espy tried to make his way toward Clay, but he couldn’t form the words to speak to his idol. One of his friends shouted out for him: **“He wants to be like you, even though he can’t read.” Clay grabbed one of his posters, which had the word CLAY written in big letters. He looked at Espy and said, “You see that, boy?” pointing to a letter. “That’s an A. Now, you’ve only got twenty-five more letters to go.” Espy had just been gifted the process. Within a year, he started college."** ([Location 1133](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00IX49OS4&location=1133)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[teaching-anecdotes]], [[progressing-slowly]], [[consistency]], [[training]], [[routines]], **Source** -- [[202409180132 - B - The Obstacle is the Way]]