Slow Progress is Still Progress

Some people quit due to slow progress, 

never grasping the fact that slow progress is progress.  ~Rolsey

There are days (and weeks and years) where you feel as if you’re standing still.  That all the world is rushing forward but your feet are firmly rooted in the ground beneath you.  You remember the dreams you had and the plans you made and think you’re no more nearer to them than the day they first captured your imagination.

We allow ourselves no grace when we compare ourselves with others.

Perhaps this is a planning season.  Dreams need to be mapped out, provisions secured, logistical decisions made before setting out on this new journey.  Carefully setting out the details in your mind can help clarify and smooth the path you are about to take.

Perhaps this is a not yet season.  I gathered with friends recently and we talked about the places we were in life.  A bit of wisdom from a sweet friend stood out in that conversation—this is just where we are right now.  It may not be where we will always be, but it’s where we need to be right now.  Maybe, just maybe, this season in life is preparing us for the next leg of our journey.

Perhaps this is a calling season.  It could be the reason we feel we’re standing still, is that we really are just standing still. 

Maybe your dreams are whispering to you and pulling your feet out of the clay to take that first step. 

Perhaps you’ve made progress, but don’t even recognize it as progress any more.  The baby steps aren’t registering and the mile markers seem so far ahead of you that you don’t think you’ll ever reach them.  We need to know and remember where we started to see if we’re getting any closer to where we’re going.  Maybe you need a travel journal for your life.  To write down, commit to paper where you’re starting, what you need for your trip, and where you’re headed. 

Maybe you’re farther along the road than you think.  Maybe you’ve just lost track.

Wherever you find yourself this morning, whatever season you’re in, take time to take stock of where you are, where you’ve been and what you need to do to move forward.  You may be going full speed, you may be puttering along, moving forward a little at a time.  Or you may be taking the scenic route, with a few side trips thrown in along the way. 

Wherever you are, I hope you take time today to think about your progress and your hopes and plans, and ask yourself,

What brave thing can I do TODAY 

to make my dreams come true tomorrow?

Helpful tips:

5 Reasons to Commit Your Goals to Writing

The Art of the Travel Journal