Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Progress is funny. It seems fickle. It feels like it disguises itself, steps backward, doesn’t go anywhere, and sometimes jumps out at you “all of a sudden.” It never seems to be slow and steady, like a wedge. It seems to be variable, squiggly, and loopy.
Are you progressing? Of course you are. I have no doubt, but the evidence doesn’t materialize like an incline ramp. Does it wedge out like a 45-degree angle? I think it’s more like Stockmarket ticker tape. I don’t know why it’s like that, why nature doesn’t seem to grow at a steady, predictable rate. It seems to prefer the zigzag method.
Progress might not be seen or felt microscopically but macroscopically. If you snapshot it now, it might appear flat – like your life and your ambitions are going “nowhere.” If you snapshot it tomorrow, it might look like you’re flying to the moon and that things have really taken off. If you snapshot it a bit later, it may look like it’s tumbling towards the bottom of a ravine. But it hasn’t stopped.
You have to understand the nature of progress. Take a wider stance and in the long run, you’ll see it. If you zoom out far enough, you won’t even notice the squiggles anymore. It will appear as forever ascending. It might be more like a curve than like a wedge, but the curve of success will steepen as you back away from the X-Y axis.
Today’s snapshot isn’t an indication of success or failure. You may have to go a little further, stand a little wider, and back up to see how well you’re doing. I think your progress can improve right now if you just back up and back off.