3 Things You Should Do When You Feel Like Everyone Else Is Making Progress and You Are Not
Progress is relative don’t let others’ define yours.
You are probably at that point in your life where it feels like you are the only one not making progress.
You look at your peers and it is as if everyone, but you, is doing something meaningful with their lives.
Everyone else is celebrating this success or that milestone and, you sincerely are happy for their victories but, you just can’t stop yourself from asking the question “What am I doing wrong?”.
I have to be honest with you. I also felt that way for a long while.
The best of us have at some point in our lives felt that exact way.
You feel stuck. You feel confused. You feel frustrated. Everything seems monotonous and nothing seems to be working out.
Well, I believe I can help you out of that hole of pessimism and dark depression with these three simple steps:
1. Change Your Focus
“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”- George Lucas
What you behold determines who you become and, who you become determines what comes to you.
Quit asking and brooding over all that is wrong and focus on what is right.
There’s got to be something that you are doing right. The very fact that you are reading this piece right now attests to that.
So, the first thing you need to do is change your focus.
Quit focusing on all that is wrong in your life and focus on the things you are getting right because evolving is painful and you are going to need all the intrinsic motivation you can muster to sustain you on your growth path.
Consciously make a list of all the things you are doing right. Pay attention to your laudable qualities and permit yourself to build from there.
2. Never Trivialize Process
The process is where you learn. The process is where you grow. The process is where you develop character and find out who you are. It’s the only path to your goals. The process is the point. — Anonymous
We are a generation that cares for rewards without putting in the work. So many persons on social media look more successful than they are in real life.
Why make it when you can fake it huh?
This shallow mindset has caused many to despise the pains of the process. They want the gains but not the pains.
It is therefore tempting to you, who is on the path of process and, you are lured into feeling stuck and redundant.
Well, snap out of it quickly and fall in love with the process.
“Fall in love with the process, and the results will come.”- Eric Thomas
As long as you are on the path of growth and you are disciplined and committed to the cause you have chosen, never trivialize the trememdous effects of the seemingly little, consistent efforts you are making daily, on the overarching result of your life.
“Small, seemingly inconsistent improvements, made consistently over time, will create huge results.”- Anthony Moore
Fall in love with the process!
3. Stay True to Your Purpose
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”- Herman Melville
You are you!
I cannot stress that enough. Do not fall into the trap of commonness and cheap comparison. You have your life to live. You have your path to tread, everyone does. Do not let circumstances and societal norms define what is or isn’t progress.
We all have our destinies to live out. We must stay true to our path and purpose.
“A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.”- Malcolm X
Discover who you are. Why you are here. What you are to do. And stay true to your purpose no matter what.
In Conclusion
Progress is relative. And you shouldn’t beat yourself up if your current location isn’t your desired destination.
“You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction.”- Jim Rohn
You have a choice to either stick with your feelings and remain feeling stuck and frustrated or change your focus, embrace the process and stay true to your purpose. The result of the latter is instant — you draw enough motivation from your present to drive you into your desired future.
