Moving Forward With A Determined Life

Progress Is Dependent on Direction, Not Speed 

The business of life is to go forward; he who sees evil in prospect meets it in his way; but he who catches it by retrospection turns back to find it. That which is feared may sometimes be avoided, but that which is regretted today may be regretted again tomorrow.

Samuel Johnson

In other words: the past is the past, many of the things you fear about change can be avoided, but the regrets you have today about not changing are likely to be carried forward by you into the future. 

American author Steven Howard advises, "Don't go straight, go forward." Forward progress is rarely a straight line from where you are today to where you want to be at some future point. Progress along the path to A Determined Life is full of twists, turns, hurdles, obstacles, and uncharted waters. A straight line it is not.

Building momentum for your personal change project is a matter of repeated effort, constant re-dedication to your commitment (to yourself), and an on-going battle to prevent distractions, excuses, and procrastination from gaining an upper hand. 

In fact, as Aristotle pointed out centuries ago, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." The same can be said for change.

The mistake many people often make when trying to build momentum for their personal change projects is relying on other people or other external factors. It is best to avoid doing so at all costs. 

The only person who can build momentum for your personal change project is you. Others may help (such as a personal trainer if you are changing to a more fitter you), but the responsibility remains yours.

For one thing, only you will know if the steps being implemented resonate with you. Are they working? Do they need modifying? Is the effort level too little, sufficient or too much? Is this the right track?

Remember, progress has little to do with speed and intensity, but is highly dependent on direction. As the Buddhist Proverb goes, "If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking."

Again, repeated effort is key. As motivational speaker Jim Rohn used to tell his audiences, "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." 

It is the lack of repeated efforts becoming habit that causes so many people who lose weight to regain the weight back within a year. As one observer stated, most people don't lose weight, they merely misplace it for awhile. Those who develop the habit of healthy eating combined with physical activity, however, are the ones also enjoying permanent weight loss. 

Do yourself a favor, TODAY. Find 30 minutes of alone time and contemplate your future. Are you facing in the right direction to achieve your desires? If not, what alignment in direction do you need to make? 

This article is excerpted from the book Project You: Living A Determined Life, available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.