Making progress is intentional work in motion. Some people never think about progress because it takes too long. The process is actually what produces the path to your goal. When you become successful, it’s all because of those tiny steps of progress.
Progress In Motion
When you think about making progress, you think of big strides and enormous steps that get you to your desired outcome instantly. It doesn’t exactly happen that way, but it will eventually drive you to the outcome you want.
Making progress takes time. In reality, we are always constantly moving towards something, whether we acknowledge it or not. You could be taking action towards becoming more healthy, or you could be drifting along with life, hoping it’ll just happen on it’s own.
Either way, you’re moving. If you’re watching time pass, why not be intentional and create a plan that will point you in the direction you want to go?
Begin working your plan. Overthinking is nothing more than procrastination. You’re giving yourself an excuse to sit there and be inactive. Take the first step and the next one will reveal itself along the way. That’s how progress works!
Be consistent. When you don’t see immediate results from your actions, it doesn’t mean that it’s not working – that’s when your progress is in motion. Keep doing the work and you will get closer and closer to your outcome.
Distractions Along The Way
As you know, there are always people who try to stop you from achieving your goals. It could be something personal, or it could be out of insecurity. The distraction from someone you’re close to can be bad enough to make you want to stop.
Personal relationships can be tough. Some people think you’re supposed to spend all of your extra time with them, as opposed to working on your plan. Unless they have something to do on their own, they will prove to be the biggest distraction that can easily get out of control.
Another distraction is the one you place on yourself. You know the ones – junk food, social media, the news – anything you can turn off, but you choose not to at the moment. The little things that steal your attention and slow you down do not contribute to the bigger picture.
It draws you in and you say to yourself, “I’ll only scroll for 10 minutes.” Before you know it, all of those “shock and awe” headlines that you have to read right now, have turned those innocent ten minutes into an hour of guilt. That’s time you will never get back and it didn’t help you reach your target.
Staying away from personal distractions can be the most difficult. You can handle them by setting up boundaries and creating a reward system. Simple things like placing your phone in another room or putting it on airplane mode can help. Or, you can reward yourself with social media or Netflix after you’ve done your task, but you must be aware. Don’t let your reward turn into an all day thing.
Make Progress Work For You
Understand that you are always in perpetual, constant progress. Success is not attainable unless you work towards it with full intent. Watching, wishing and waiting will have you in the same position this time, next year.
Yes, progress seems like it takes forever, but it shows that you are consciously taking action towards your goal. You are putting in the effort to live the life you dream about. It may take years, but it’s your journey and you won’t get there without taking the first steps.
Progress prepares you for what’s to come in the future. It teaches you how to be strategic with your actions. Once you’ve learned how to follow through more efficiently and achieve your task, you move on to another.
Distractions can throw you off your path, but you can control it. Hold yourself accountable and own the decisions you make. Choose progress over instant gratification. It’s those small decisions that will turn your progress into success.