Be Working On Progress
Today I want to encourage you to not merely consider yourself “a work in progress,” but rather make sure that you are working on progress.
The “work in progress” paradigm is certainly preferable to a rigid system where only perfection counts for anything. However, in my own life, the “work in progress” label has become an excuse at times. If I don’t follow through on a commitment, if I fall short, if I make a mistake, I can tell myself… “Oh well, I’m a work in progress.” I’m not as harsh on myself as I used to be, so that’s good, but that doesn't necessarily mean I’m taking responsibility to change anything.
So, instead of calling myself a “work in progress,” I’m focusing my attention on daily working on progress. Not perfectly, but consistently with intention.
Marie Curie, physicist and chemist, who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, knew something about the nature progress:
"I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy." - Marie Curie
Her family experienced political persecution, her mother died when she was a child, and she endured several setbacks in her desire to pursue scientific studies, including sexism. But she kept at it, plugging away. She eventually found her place and her people, and achieved great things - such as being the first person ever to win two Nobel prizes. Rarely was her path clear or easy, but she was persistent, rolled with the challenges and kept her eyes on what she wanted, and took responsibility to change what she could.
That is the way forward. Don’t settle for being a “work in progress." Make sure you are actually working on progress. Then let go of what you can’t control and enjoy the ride.
Happy to be in your corner,
Tom Page, LCPC
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