Progress Isn't a Contest | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

Progress Isn't a Contest

Baby steps are still movement

12
Progress Isn't a Contest
Photo by Julian Vinci on Unsplash

Ladies and gentlemen, we're at that stage in our lives. We have childhood friends, so in love, getting engaged and married. We have college friends getting amazing internships and big-kid jobs. Or maybe they're studying abroad or traveling across Europe. You come back home for the summer, and you realize everyone is out living their best lives. You? Well, you're just not. You might be back at home, working at the same minimum wage job you had in high school, chauffeuring your younger siblings around. You might be the most single you've ever been. Whatever you're doing, there's no way it measures up to what Sarah is doing in London, or what Paul is doing at the White House. Here's the thing: your progress is relative to your life, not anyone else's.

Progress isn't a contest. Progress isn't about doing better than anyone else. Progress is about moving along on your specific path in life. You don't have to be doing better than Jimmy to be making progress. In fact, you don't even have to be doing the same as Jimmy to be making progress. You and Jimmy have two completely different end goals, and that's why progress will look different for both of you.

You do whatever you need to do in order to get things do. But whatever you do, don't give up. When life kicks you down, get back up. Keep moving to achieve whatever you want to achieve, no matter how slow or small your steps are.

"Baby steps are still movement"

A good friend once told me this. I didn't understand it at first. Yes, TECHNICALLY and LITERALLY baby steps are movement, but what exactly does that mean?

Babies are PRAISED for taking their first steps. No one ever kicks them down for not being able to ride a bike yet. Why is that? Because babies are in the stage in their lives where they are making progress and growing. You're no different. The stage in life that you're at right now is going to be completely different than literally everyone else's in the world. Your experiences have made your journey a unique one.

No matter what steps you're taking in life right now, whether it be a fabulous engagement or making it to work on time, it is still movement. You are still working towards your end goal, whatever that may be.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

575428
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

463276
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments