# Chapter 111

Some times visible progress comes in like a flood other times unseen at all. There is slow work and fast work is another way of saying it. As I have been working on this antique truck restoration project with my dad throughout this weird COVID-19 time, there have been times when we make no apparent progress at all for days and days. It seems like we sanded and sanded the same one square meter for a month. Where I would think that I had done it well and then my dad would come along and say, “this is not ready yet.” And back to sanding the same one meter square. Those were no visible progress days, completely unseen at all.

Then you have days like we have had this week, where big pieces fall into place and large physical parts are placed on the restoration and kaboom, everything changes - visibly that is. But the reality of each and every day is that we worked just as diligently when there was no visible progress and when there were big changes in what it seemed like we got accomplished. The facts are that all our jobs and tasks are like this, where the unseen invisible work, makes the big visible presentation pieces possible. In other words, if you don’t do your homework, then you can’t expect it have the answers for class tomorrow.

Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is remain rigorous and meticulous while doing the non-visible critical prep work that is actually the underlying foundation of accomplishing your ultimate goal. Sanding old metal is not sexy, but when the paint is laid down on it, it will be painfully obvious to all if it received the necessary and unseen prep work. In fact you can walk around this truck restoration project now and see every single time I failed at sanding. So don’t fail at doing the unseen prep work and lay a great foundation for producing something beautiful.