House Cleaning Analogy (2)

This is a brief follow up to what I was writing yesterday--taken from an e-mail exchange with a writer (who is probably going to read this blog entry--so thanks for being smart and interesting--you know who you are).

You say "all I ever wanted was to be proud of the work I complete". What if you said, instead, "what I want is to be proud that I completed my work (work which many who begin don't finish, and which most who aspire to will never even qualify to begin)."? What if you could take pride in completing an awkward draft on schedule?

I have this as a follow up on the house cleaning analogy, because I think it's the same principle: we need to be able to do what we can in the time allotted and be proud of having done our best. One neat thing about being proud of doing our best, is that if we work hard, then we have something to be proud of--regardless of what others say. If we depend on the product of our effort turning out well, then we are much more at the mercy of outside circumstances, and much more vulnerable to the complaints/criticisms of others.