Tag: progress

Echo XXV

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
– Edward Everett Hale

I started a new job, moved across the country, and left most everything I know to start fresh. Been on hiatus for a while, time to recollect. Let’s try again.

While digging through a stash of old corporate wellness materials, I stumbled upon a book written by Nancy Jane Smith called, “The Happier Approach.” It honestly reminds me of one of those free books you’d get at church during the Easter season, or from a self-help seminar, or in one of those little lending library kiosks you see in small towns. The cover art is very basic, and said cover art looks like it was printed in 480p. Yet, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working my way through it (insert lesson on not judging a book by it’s cover).

One idea that Nancy works through has stuck with me – the idea that accomplishing a goal will provide a sensation of calm and quiet, that we should be overwhelmed with relief that we accomplished something. Yet, rarely is this the case. That focus moves from the task at hand, flies past the joys of completing it, and transfers into the anxiety and stress of what is next.

Her justification for this is that we are validating internal needs with external stimuli. Meaning, the internal feeling of anxiety or stress or fatigue or exhaustion isn’t magically fixed by an external factor. Its the same idea behind “I need a drink!” after a stressful day. It’s a band-aid in lieu of stitches.

We are on this constant quest for perfection. 10 things on the to-do list? If we do 9 but miss the 10th, we feel more guilt about missing it than pride in accomplishing the other 90%. We fear the ridicule from our brain for missing the one shot more than we long for the joy of bullseye’ing the others. The quest for protection protects us from the fear of failure, but it also blinds us of the little victories.

What if we don’t realize the life’s first 9 until we miss the 10th? Think of all the little victories you’ve let slide by because you missed that last task. Entire house is clean but the dishes are still soaking – failure. All of the bills, but you forgot the light bulbs you needed on your shopping trip – fail. The kiddos had perfect attendance at soccer this week, but you were 15 minutes late to that birthday party – fail.

Don’t let the idea of constantly moving the finish line further and further away cloud your view of the miles you’ve already run. Take a step back and see how far you’ve come. See the successes in simply living, breathing, being.

Echo XIX

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

Yesterday during Mass, our priest spoke on a topic that struck a chord with me – living life in past, present, or future. Now, to preface, this post and all other posts will never be religiously, racially, socioeconomically, etc., driven. During his homily, he spoke on how our society has grown to live within one of those three categories, and rarely in multiple.

It can be tough to differentiate where you, your individual being, may live.

Do you constantly stress about what is to come? Does the thought of your upcoming exams, quarterly review, anniversary, etc., make you anxious? Do your purposefully plan your life around how it will affect you 5, 10, 50 years in the future? Then you’re a forward thinker. You live in and for the future.

If you are stuck in things that were or have been, or if you are mourning, grieving, remembering, you are living for the past. This is a natural part of life, but we must remember it isn’t a permanent place to be. Do you constantly catch yourself reminiscing on what “once was,” about the friends you’ve had, family you’ve lost, or choices you’ve made? You are living in the past.

The present is the most difficult place to be, one that I struggle with daily. One of the most cliche things I’ve ever heard is that they call now the “present” because it is a gift. With the immense amounts of corniness that brings, it remains true. Living in the now is a gift we struggle to open just like the first gift we receive from a partner, or their parents. You know the feeling – everyone’s eyes on you, so excited for whatever is in the beautiful wrapped package? Another example would be the parting gift you may receive from employees before your resignation – time spent planning it, ordering it, wrapping it, all culminating in everyone’s excitement resting in your hands. Yet, even with all of their excitement, we remain nervous, knots in our stomach because all attention is on us with huge expectations. Now, replace the idea of a gift with the idea of our now, our present.

We put monstrous amounts of stress on ourselves to be perfect in the moment. To say the right things, make the right moves, feel the right way, when we could so easily step back and just enjoy the moment. To realize we are blessed to still be breathing, taking time in as it comes. To be a recipient of this beautiful gift, the present, rather than a relic stuck in the past or simply a thought floating in the future.

The hardest part is finding a way to make the 3 coexist – live in the present, learn from the past, and hope for the future. Easier said than done, but that’s what makes it fun.

Echo XIII

“If we each live properly, we will collectively flourish.”
– Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

Much like the beautiful masterpiece “We Are the World,” one of the highlights of both 80s music and hairstyles, says, we truly are the world. We are a collective unit on this rock, all working towards the same goal – happiness, harmony, and success. This blog will never be politically, religiously, or idealistically based. My religious beliefs, ideals, stances, etc., play no role in the thoughts I put it into these words.

Yet, it remains so true – we are all in this together. No matter your beliefs or outlook, we can’t go at it alone. We all long for family, friends, a sense of self-purpose among others. This isn’t to say we mustn’t excel in our own rights. To love someone else you must first love yourself. Yet, none of us are alone.

Nor should we want to be! The greatest feats of human power and determination were group efforts. We didn’t walk on the moon due to one person’s actions, or trek across the United States led by only one man. Humans are much like ants in that individually we are strong, stubborn creatures, yet we find success and unity through others.

Successful businesses become so through successful people. The idea may be of one – Oprah is successful because she wanted to be and made the necessary steps to reach it, Beizos and Gates the same – but the outcome is of many. While we may find success and happiness through a solo endeavor, a strong team and base of support is invaluable.

I have learned this over the past year. Without my team, I don’t know where I’d be.

Give it a try sometime – let someone in. Collectively we flourish.

Echo XII

“Well done is better than well said.”
– Benjamin Franklin

How often do you run into the problem of someone talking the talk, but struggling to walk the walk? This can be in anything, from your boss failing to lead after a required seminar on healthy leadership, to your partner saying they’ll do the dishes to lessen your load but they continue to pile up in the sink. As humans, we seek to fill a need within ourselves by making a promise of action, even if we know those words will never culminate in action.

If you say something, you must follow through. Period. Your word is everything. If you don’t put value into the things you say, wake up.

This is self-discipline. This is progress and growth. This is self-worth.

If you tell yourself that you’re done stopping at McDonalds on your way home, then stop swinging by to see ol’ McRonald. If you want to finally graduate college with your Bachelors degree, register for classes and get a side-hustle to help pay for it. If you promise your parents you’ll pay them back for some emergency loan, manage your finances enough to do so. Saying something means nothing if you don’t find the means to follow through.

Without action our words fall short. I can wake up tomorrow and say I’m an astronaut, or a doctor, or that I’m rich. Yet, am I? No. These things don’t evolve through words, they evolve through actions. Years and years of trial and error, hard work, studying – action. Successful people don’t become so through words. Successful people earn that adjective, that title, through action. The only people who literally find fame through words are motivational speakers and authors, and even they have a lifetime of actions to back them up. Well, and maybe the guys that make crossword puzzles… but regardless.

Don’t let yourself be known for words, they are worthless without a follow through. Tiger isn’t know for talking prior to the match, he is known for walking to the tee-box and winning tournaments. Life is the tournament, words are simply the press-conference following.

Echo II

“Don’t confuse movement with progress. My mother told me, ‘you can run in place all of the time and never get anywhere.’”
– Denzel Washington

Often times we fall into a false sense of security, feeling certain that our actions are leading to our proposed outcome. We work our day away to push our line into the green rather than the red, to heal our patients, to build our structures, etc. We feel as though this movement is progress, we are progressing on something we have deemed important to finding success and satisfaction.

But are we progressing, or simply moving?

First, I’d like to set the precedent as to the meaning behind movement and progress in the simplest way I know possible:

Movement – an act of changing physical location or position or of having this changed; a change or development

Progress – forward or onward movement toward a destination; advance or development toward a better, more complete, or more modern condition

So, let’s first discuss the similarities. Both can be related to a development of some sort, and both are some type of change. The differences are what we are more interested in. If you notice, progress actually includes movement in its own definition, meaning it is encompassing movement. Secondly, progress literally says it is forward or onward – movement simple states a change in position. Lastly, and most importantly, progress leads toward a “better, more complete” condition. Movement can literally be a change without any forward motion, whereas the definition of progress literally states that it has forward and positive movement.

We all have movement days. We all have days where we wake up and simply want to make it through the day and existence, or to “go through the movements.” THAT IS FINE. You are allowed to have these days, and you’re allowed to have them often. The bigger picture is that if we have a “going through the movements” day, it must culminate in a “forward progress life.” We are a summation of our smaller pieces, our entity and life being the complete puzzle. We have to find a way to progress and not just move.

If that means obtaining a new certification or degree, applying for a position you might not feel you’re qualified for, asking for that raise you know you deserve, or simply stepping out of an airplane with a parachute strapped to your back to conquer your fears – we must find ways to progress.

Our life needs to be a stream forcing its way through rock, progressing deeper and deeper until it is the defining feature between the supposedly impenetrable walls of earth. Think about it – the Grand Canyon is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Without the driving force of water progressing deeper and deeper into that red rock, there would be 6 Natural Wonders. The progress (and subsequent movement) of the water created one of the most beautiful things on this planet.

Now it’s your turn to be that stream.