Keep Moving Forward

The hardest part of any new venture, any new change, is time. People want to make changes, but being patient and allowing the process to take shape is the biggest challenge.

It’s never really JUST about motivation. It’s more. It’s never JUST about planning and preparation. It’s more.

Everyone wants results, but the problem that causes so many to fail – they want results YESTERDAY! That is just not realistic. And it is the biggest factor behind most endings – people stop because they stop seeing results.

Here’s a great example: you start off on a weight loss journey. You have planned out your days/weeks, you meal prep, you have a fitness plan in place and a goal set to reach a certain weight. Then two weeks in you get invited to a party (friend’s bday, going away party, graduation party, holiday party, etc.).

You show up without any intention of cheating – you won’t blow what you’ve already begun two weeks prior.

You choose to have A drink…then it becomes three. You get hungry. All the yummy foods you aren’t supposed to eat are in front of you. You decide, “Ok, I’m going to have ONE slider.” It tastes soooo good. Then you choose to have a couple of BBQ ribs because it’s just protein (not taking into consideration the sugary BBQ sauce that covers those amazing ribs).

The next thing you realize is you’ve been snacking all evening, drinking, having a good time, and wake up the next day feeling like crap. You hate yourself for breaking your stride. The two weeks' time and planning you put into motion are for naught because you messed up. You drop your head in shame. You feel awful. You feel like you failed in your attempt. Then you put it in the back of your mind that you are incapable of being disciplined.

At this point, you are only talking yourself out of a moment.

Again, just an example, but one that happens more frequently, nonetheless.

I’m going to be realistic with you and give you tough love – YOU DID NOT FAIL!

All you did was hit a temporary setback. However, the moment you give up and stop moving forward is the moment you quit and THUS fail.

REMEMBER: YOU ONLY FAIL WHEN YOU QUIT GOING FORWARD!

I don’t care about setbacks. We are human and are naturally prone to be sidetracked. It happens. But you can’t let something like that deter you, keep you from trudging forward and hitting your goals. The only thing stopping you from getting your desired results is YOU! If you don’t believe me, then you will never find success.

Everyone is responsible for the actions that take place to get to their goals and hit the marks they want in life.

When times are good and people are happy, there is a higher level of energy and a greater will and desire to succeed. When times are bad, there is less energy and a feeling of despair that tends to lend itself to a greater risk of incompletion.

But every moment is temporary. Bad times in your life don’t stay bad forever and good times aren’t always going to be good. What’s important to learn is how to ride the wave that is life. Knowing how to adjust yourself to changes – good or bad – will determine how successful you’ll find yourself when reaching your goals.

Here’s a great story (I’ve shared before) but will share again because I still think it’s amazing how this person was able to reach his dream:

Mark was working as a bartender. His only dream was to become an actor and land a leading role. Mark went on several auditions. Unfortunately, the best he received was either as an extra, or a bit part. However, as frequently as he was turned down, it was all he ever wanted to do and he was determined to get there. Why? His passion for acting was so strong that his desire, drive, determination, discipline, and dedication to the art were so strong that he was unwilling to quit. After almost ten years and over 600 auditions, Mark was finally given his first starring role – to rave reviews! His career was about to take off and Mark Ruffalo (better known to many of you as Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk) is now cemented in cinematic history.

Think about that: Ten years, over 600 auditions. How many people do you think would have given up and said, “I guess I’m just not movie material” or “I’ll never make it in this industry so I need to find something else.”

You know as well as I do that most people (I’d venture to say 98%…but not based on any factual scientific data) would have thrown in the towel.

If you have passion, you’ll reach your goals and your desired results. You’ll find yourself taking the hits in those bad times and riding high on the waves during the good times. But YOU KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Setbacks are merely that…a moment that only defines a moment. It’s temporary. It exists momentarily. However, it’s how you react to the moment that defines your results. If you think of it as an end-all/be-all, then you won’t achieve any of the results you set out to accomplish. If you think of it as a momentary setback, then you’ll move past it and keep after what you set out to accomplish.

Never stop moving forward. Don’t beat yourself up for being human. We all have moments of weakness. We all have times we face self-doubt. We all have situations that inhibit our progress. Here are four things you can do to keep yourself on track:

Recognize that you are having a moment, chalk it up as a temporary setback, and plan for the next day to be better and to do better.

Sit down and write out the moment that caused your weakness/self-doubt/challenges. What made that happen and why did it happen? How could you have prevented it? Was there a way to prevent it? Were there any underlying factors that you recognized early on that led to it? If so, how do you recognize them again in the future and work to prevent them? Is there any support you could have used to help divert the situation? Writing this down will help you in the future if you are faced with adversity – not just to recognize it, but to be able to understand what caused it and how to avert it if you were presented with the issue again.

Remember the next day is a new day. Sometimes you just have to regroup, get your mentality right, refocus, readjust and start again. There is nothing wrong with it. Getting down on yourself is normal, but don’t let it determine the end. You still haven’t hit your goals. Get up, dust yourself off, get some good rest and start fresh the next day. Remember KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

Don’t worry about it. You can’t sit around and beat yourself up because you had a bad day (or days). If it were easy to follow, everyone would be successful all the time. But it’s not. It takes time. It takes discipline. And it takes realizing you are human, capable of falling, but equally capable of getting back up. So don’t sweat it. You still have to keep on keeping on. KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

This is your life. This is your time. You owe it to yourself to get the best from you possible.

Your best self is waiting to be discovered. You have one amazing life so make it the best life possible!

It’s time to ignite!