First of all, I want to apologise for going MIA in the last few weeks. But a lot is going on that I wasn't in the suitable space to connect with myself and write.
However, this morning at 5 am, I just woke up and told myself, "I want to write this blog and write it, no matter what".
Past few days, there was this one constant thought on my mind: "Progress is personal."
You know how certain things are considered "personal". For example, your salary is personal, and your relationship with someone is private until you are confident. I think progress is one of those things until people start noticing the improvement.
I've been thinking about where I was a few years ago and where I am now. I don't have to go too far back to track my progress. Just a few years ago, I didn't have a career. I was unhappy with myself and others around me. I was unfit physically, emotionally, and mentally and in a dark mental space. I used to feel that my life was a complete waste.
But every time I felt terrible about myself - I took action. It was starting my own educational institute, opening a cloud kitchen, or taking up a job I had no idea about. In most cases, I failed miserably every time. The reason behind my failure was that I was expecting results too soon. Rather than focusing on the "how far I've come?" I used to ask myself, "Am I there yet?".
It used to cause a lot of frustration and anxiety when the answer would be a big fat "NO".
I would make myself believe that I am failing; I need a Plan B. Then I'd scratch everything that I did until then and start with a new plan. The result of this strategy was that I was not going anywhere. I would waste my time and resources on plans A, B, C, and Z and not go anywhere.
However, last few years, the only change I made in my plan was I change my perspective. I kept my progress personal, private, and protected. I kept working towards my goals until people asked me, "How do you manage to do it?".
How does this plan work? To answer this, the best example I can give is this.
It's the same as getting fit. If you want to lose weight and want to start looking and feeling fitter, you sign up with a gym close by. Initially, you'd go to the gym with a lot of excitement. After a few months of regular workouts, you won't be seeing any change on the weighing scale or in your fittings. Then you start to feel the frustration of not seeing results. The clothes are still tight, and the number on the weighing scale is still not going down. This is the stage when most people quit!
I was one of those.
But when you change your perspective and focus on the progress, things start to make sense. If you focus on the "how far have I come?", it makes you want to continue doing it even more consistently.
Rather than saying, I cannot run 5 km on a treadmill even after 2 months of working out, I'd say, "I can now run for 7 mins without a break". Whereas 1 month ago, I couldn't run even for a minute. I can now do 25 sit-ups as against 10 sit-ups at the start of the month.
The progress that you are seeing is personal. You don't share it with anyone until you start looking fitter and lighter. Then suddenly, people ask you, "Have you been working out? You look great!". That's when you know that you are on the right track.
So next time when you feel anxious about your life and goals, rather than asking, "Am I there yet?" just ask yourself, "How far have I come?".
If you liked today's post, let me know your feedback. I will treasure the positive ones and work on the critical ones. I promise.
