In last week’s TMJ call our topic was success vs progress.
What are they? Are they the same thing? If not, how are they different?
To me, success is tangible. Something you can hold. Something you can see. Something you’re trying to achieve. It’s fleeting — like making Forbes 30 Under 30.
Whereas, progress is intangible. It’s the accumulation of successes. It’s long-term. It’s gradual — like losing 100 pounds.
Progress (dare I say evolution?) is what life’s about. It’s the battle of continuous improvement. It’s neither sexy nor faster than Amazon Prime's one-day shipping.
But, boy does it feel so damn good when you can look back and feel the difference.
Why’s this relevant?
Recently, I’ve found myself getting teary-eyed thinking about how far I’ve come in my evolution as a human being. For a long time, I felt like someone put me on a bus alone headed towards the middle of nowhere without a cell phone or a map. I couldn’t figure out where to go or who I wanted to be.
Society tells us that we should have our lives figured out by 22.
Society tells us to fit into boxes that don’t fit our measurements.
Society tries to sell us short highs. Lose 10 pounds in a week. Use this upside-down meditation technique for 5-minutes a day and become stress-free.
Unfortunately, this shit doesn’t work (or it never does for me).
I found that the only way to get out of the hell-hole it felt like I was in was to: jump, fall, stand up, repeat.
What it looked like:
I asked lots of questions. I met lots of people. I posted online. I wrote. I moved. I fell in love. I read. I took classes. I worked many jobs. I traveled. I walked. I got a dog. I saw friends. I hung out online.
In other words: I found what felt good and kept chasing it.
And you know what happened along the way? I found what matters to me. I found what I like. I found what I value. I found what I’m good at. I found problems I want to help solve.
I found me — I’m sure 30-year-old me will be a bit different than 24-year-old me — but I found the me that feels most me right now.
This is what progress looks like.
Slow. Painful. Uncomfortable. Awkward.
Most days feel like nothing’s happening until one day you wake up and something just clicks. You notice you have thought of them for a week and your gut doesn’t scrunch up as much when you sit down.
Progress is learning when to say “no” to opportunities, people, and habits that don’t align with your values and goals.
Progress is learning to place you first — your wants, your needs, and your desires.
Progress is learning to let go of the weight that suffocates you.
Progress is learning to commit.
Progress is learning to use your voice and trust your gut.
Progress is learning to get comfortable sitting in the gray space (uncertainty) of life.
Progress is learning that you won’t ever get everything you say you want, but you’ll get more than you need — if you’re willing to adjust your view.
Just remember: progress doesn’t roar, it hums.
— JTM