Forward Motion

James Earl Jones used to be a spokesman for the Verizon company. At the end of every commercial, he would say in his booming voice, “Make progress every day”. I always took his advice to heart. I felt like he, or the Universe, was speaking directly to me. I love the word progress. It doesn’t have anything to do with perfection. Thank goodness because perfection, as we all know, is unattainable. Just keep trying to do better than you have been and you’ll get to where you want to go.

It’s very important that I keep this good advice in my thoughts these days because my goal right now for my life is to, “Kick it up a notch!”. I borrowed that expression from Emeril Lagasse, the wonderful chef who used to be on television all the time cooking up a storm. He would always say it with a smile on his face. Me, too. I’m smiling right now as I write because the mere fact that I know that I can kick it up a notch in my life, makes me very happy. So, a smile is in order.

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” This is a quote by John Maxwell that I found in his motivational book entitled, “Success-One Day At A Time”. I’ve owned this book for several years and read it often. The idea is that our lives change when our habits change. The person seeking progress needs to examine his/her daily routine-their daily habits- to see what exactly it is that they are doing on a regular basis that could possibly be holding them back. Serious reflection is required to detect the piece of the puzzle that brings about an “aha!” moment. The moment when you recognize non-productive behavior that thwarts your attempt to move toward your well planned goals. 

We unknowingly create obstacles to progress and it behooves us to study our routine carefully to determine what they are and banish them from our actions. We yearn to conduct ourselves well. So, self examination as opposed to complaining about our circumstances, is crucial. Everyone’s routine is different. Some things work for us but not for others. And, vice versa. It’s best to devise a system that keeps us humming along the path that we’ve always dreamed of. 

Perseverance is our friend because some days are going to be a breeze. Smooth sailing, and all that. And, others will be a grind. But, both types of days are all part of the process. We need to keep going and do the best we can each and every day even when it’s not fun. Keep on keeping on as we said in the 70’s. That’s the spirit that will help us arrive at our well thought out destination. All the best!