Seeking Progress Over Change

We talk a lot about change, “Change is good” and “I need a change” or maybe “I just wish he would change.” I even heard a prominent political figure talk about “hope and change.” But is “change” really the answer?

Change is a natural process requiring no direction or intention. Change happens whether we like it or not, it’s inevitable. Our world and lives are in a constant state of flux, we don’t need to seek out change, it finds us.

If I ignore my wife and neglect to make time for her, our relationship will change. We will grow apart and become more distant. Intimacy will suffer. If I don’t pay attention to what I eat, I will change. I will get fatter and feel sluggish, but hey, at least it’s change!

What we must seek is progress. Progress is directed change. It requires sacrifice, intentionality and commitment. It demands you have a plan of action and execute deliberately. Most importantly, it doesn’t happen by accident. Too many are hoping to advance in life, but they are waiting around, expecting something to just “happen” to them.

Life is too short to wait around for things to magically get better, you must “happen” to life. Your circumstance will improve when you improve. We need to start eliminating “if I just had …” from our vocabulary. “I’m not happy but if I just had *insert magic fix here* then I’d be content.” It might be that new job, a raise, a better car, a spouse, a nicer boss, more kids, less kids, a helicopter, etc. When we seek external changes as the solution to our problems, we diminish our own responsibility and cripple our power to affect positive transformation.

Don’t sit around waiting for change. Instead, relentlessly pursue progress. Make a plan for continual self-improvement. Small, incremental advances – consistently executed – are the currency of achievement. That is far superior to a handful of change.

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on

Glutton for Punishment

I’ve learned over the years that being comfortable can be a dangerous thing. I try to find paths to discomfort to push me out of my realm of “safety.” However, I have noticed my ability to develop comfort zones amidst discomfort. I’ve found ways to be comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances. I wonder, do I need to be stretched beyond those areas as well? One of the areas in which I have adapted to the discomfort is the gym. I don’t go to the gym to exercise, to get stronger or even to be healthier. It’s grown beyond that. Now, I go to the gym to clear my head by testing my will and resolve. I do it to see how hard I can push my limits and I strive to outwork everyone else there. I may not be the strongest, the fastest or the fittest. I may not lift the most weight or even do the most reps – I can’t control any of those variables – but I can control my effort. So one of my goals for each workout is to unleash more effort than anyone else at the gym. But along with this

Commitment

You know what the problem is with a lot of goals and grand plans? They are mostly fueled by emotion rather than commitment. It is why most New Year’s Resolutions are long forgotten by now and many aspirations quietly fizzle out over time. True commitment is sticking with the effort even – if and especially when – the emotion has diminished or disappeared. Emotion can be a great initiator of action, like kindling on a fire, but it lacks staying power. Commitment is the logs that keep the fire burning long after the kindling is consumed. The butterflies after falling in love, the best intentions of waking up at 4:30am every day to work out after you join a new gym, the excitement of your first day on campus, even the sleep-deprivation induced euphoria of a new baby: all kindling. But it is commitment that keeps you working hard on the marriage twenty-three years after “I do.” It is what causes you to keep going when you do not want to make one more sales call, do one more presentat

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog