Long-term work requires learning to appreciate ordinary progress.

Ordinary progress is the only kind there is most of the time, and if it does not register as satisfying then the work has no reward for years. Learning to actually appreciate a normal productive day is not lowering standards. It is what makes a long effort livable.

At the end of a decent, unremarkable day, take a moment to notice it as a good one. Not a celebration. Just registering it. That small habit changes how a long road feels.