"By an inch or a mile - forward momentum is the only requirement."
The inspiration for this blog post is from a book I am reading, Girl Wash Your Face. This book has been truly inspirational; Rachael Hollis has a way of calling you out on the lies you have been telling yourself while also being motivational and pushing you to do what is best for you. I honestly did not think that I lied to myself as often as I do. But, when reading through the table of contents I realized I have told myself EVERY SINGLE ONE of those lies... (except the mom ones, obviously) but for the most part I could not get over how relatable just the table of contents was. From then, I was hooked. I am now reading a book that calls me out on my lies and motivates me to follow my dreams and I cannot stop flipping the pages. Now, this is not a promotion for an amazing book, but it is the reason why I am writing about Progress.
I was talking to someone I like to call a friend about my tendency to over-plan. How I am a person that thinks, not only does the progress of something have to be done a certain way but it has to be done within a certain time period. This is where the quote at the top of the page has helped me in the past few weeks. These words have forced me to give myself credit for the progress I have made and let up on myself for not always meeting the set time goals of said progress.
If you know me, you know that I work on deadlines. That is how I have had to wire my life for years. With a test one day, a paper due the next, meetings, socializing, projects, and athletics; I had turned my life into a highlighted planner and color coded calendar. I would wake up with an itinerary and everything had to be done within that time or it was too late. Do not get me wrong, I feel this sort of organization was one of the reasons I was successful in high school but, it did cause a lot of stress and the inability to live in the moment. I know, that sounds like a lame excuse for not being able to live your life in the present but, I truly believe that is why it is difficult for me to let loose when it comes to my schedules, planners, and color coded calendars.
That was a little bit of context to help you understand why I am about to say this... do not hinder yourself from progress because it is not in the direction you wanted it to go or in the time frame you think it should be. Progress is measured in different ways for different situations. For example, my progress for my move to California I am not using days it takes me to pack but by how many boxes I have packed so far. I feel this is a positive way to hold yourself accountable for progress but not be as strict on yourself so that way your are still able to live your life without worrying that you are missing a deadline. This might be simple for some but for me the concept of not setting a timeline for everything I do in my life has proven to be difficult.
I am the person who has a majority of my wedding planned out and the names of my kids chosen and I do not even know if my boyfriend is completely okay with the thought of marrying me. I am that person. But, I am also the person that when something does not make it to the calendar or something is about 10 minutes behind on my itinerary that I get a terrible anxiety and can barely control my mood. Please, and I am begging you here, do not be that person. That person that is so hung up on their organizational materials that they can barely handle when they are thrown out of wack. Now, with saying that. If anyone that is reading this is in high school or are trying to figure out the rest of your life like me, DO NOT THROW OUT YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL MATERIALS.... but don't rely on them to tell your next move. Trust your gut. Monitor and adjust. And for goodness sakes.. just live in the moment. (Don't get upset if you have a hard time with that last one... I feel ya...)
Good luck and Much Love,
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