Progress

Often I want progress to be something I feel. I want to know that when I’m swimming, I’m getting somewhere. And to take that a step further, if I’m swimming with other people, I want to see that I am at least swimming alongside them or passed them. But god forbid I fall behind. Managing our day-to-day duties is necessary so reflection asks us to be intentional. When I look at progress as my solo experience happening among a collective I acknowledge the ground I’ve covered in a new way and consider those around me as the environment in which the progress occurs. Without the distinction of those around us as part of our environment comparison creeps in subtly through social media, the high expectations of holidays, checking your bank account, or the weight scale, and before we know it we can start to feel deflated. But if we can look at the people and situations as our environment we notice that going forward we get to decide what we keep in our environment. Let me share a tool for how to break this down.

But first,

If you feel like you haven’t made progress I want to share a secret- even failing is progressive and pass or fail is a mythical concept.

(If you need to feel this deeply, I recommend the PBS documentary about Frank L. Baum. And not just because the Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie of all time.)

So,

When a year ends it’s natural to think about how the year went. We think about the good things and the bad things in between. Using the technique of THINKING might feel empowering and rational but it might be an old or incomplete way of filtering progress. If you’re interested, try taking a look at how the year felt. When I did that exercise this year I got specific and decided to look back at 2022 for where I felt the MOST happiness and I started journaling. If you need a prompt, download away.

I assure you, your progress is perfection. Look for evidence of pride and passion from your past and go forward with a full heart.