Alternative Progress

I’ve always personally struggled with this in my personal development but recently have gotten a lot better with it. I was the kind of person that would get frustrated when I didn’t get a result. I felt like I was working hard, talented, had good ideas, and doing all of the right things… Yet it wasn’t being reflected in my influence, impact, and bank account. You might feel the same way in your health or relationships.

I was a victim of being attached to outcomes. Simply put, you’re attached to outcomes when you have a certain expectation for what will come of the effort you put in. Whether it was my podcast, business, or goals to be featured on more platforms, the things I was putting in weren’t translating into the outcomes I was hoping to enjoy.

What I’ve learned though is that when you don’t see tangible proof of progress, it’s just because you’re looking in the wrong places. There is certainly some form of alternative progress that’s being made. Consistent podcast episodes may not lead to more listeners, but it reinforced my confidence in being consistent. New strategies to grow my business may not have worked, but I matured as a professional in the process.

I’ve found that when you don’t get what you want, you get what you need instead. Those are the only two options. You either get what you want or better. The challenge is having the awareness to know that whatever you got is in fact better than what you wanted.

I started believing this to be true because of two perspective shifts. The first was in a moment where I realized I didn’t need to ‘do’ to be worthy… And that simply being was sufficient. I didn’t need to achieve a certain amount for my contributions to be significant. That’s a slippery slope with no end.

The second shift was in finding faith and believing in God. I was humbled to accept how limited my perspective and vision was, that His plan is so much greater than mine, and that it’d be foolish to think otherwise. It gave me permission to believe that things were happening in my favor even though I didn’t have the eyes to see it or the understanding to know how. 

So if you’ve been feeling defeated lately that your business isn’t growing, you’re not losing weight, or whatever it is that might be ailing you… Do your best to believe that the effort you’re putting in is making alternative, better than you could even imagine progress.  

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