Which direction are you moving in? 

You have career goals, are you moving towards them? You have training and physique goals, are you moving towards them?

Progress:

–noun

1. a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage.

2. developmental activity in science, technology, etc., esp. with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.

3. advancement in general.

4. growth or development; continuous improvement.

5. the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.

6. Biology . increasing differentiation and perfection in the course of ontogeny or phylogeny.

7. forward or onward movement.

8. the forward course of action, events, time, etc.

9. an official journey or tour, as by a sovereign or dignitary.

You read the definitions; I italicized the ones that didn’t really apply. Progress is undoubtedly necessary to reach a goal. Life will, your life will, progress every second no matter what. In fact, the world around you is moving forward at an incredibly high rate.

I invite you to re-read definitions 3, 4 and 5. What’s the common theme? I would offer that progress can be measured by a number of different sized increments. However, progress at it’s core is measured in very small increments. The slightest step forward, toward one’s goal is progress. Progress is moving forward, continuously improving (no matter how small that improvement may be). Progress is any development, choice or step you take that sends you in a direction more beneficial than where you began; and that’s the straight up definition.

So ask yourself, am I making progress? No matter how small, am I taking steps towards achieving my personal goals? If you constantly progress you will succeed. If you are aware of your constant progression, and the things you are doing to make that progress you will feel and ultimately be successful.

I will end with this:

You can squat 135 lbs with great form today. If you added 10 lbs to your squat every 4 weeks you would squat 265 lbs this time next year. Have you ever squatted 265 with great form? If you matched that effort the next year you would squat just shy of 400lbs 2 years from this date.

You can run a mile in 10:00 min. today. If you dropped 20 seconds off your mile every 4 weeks, this time next year you would run a mile in under 6 minutes.

If there’s something you want to be, if there’s something you want to do, you need to start thinking about your progress.

 

Greg Robins