Slow Progress Is Still Progress

Hello readers!

With a rise in the Coronavirus Pandemic across the globe, we’re all cooped up inside our houses for quite a few weeks. With this, we’ve seen a lot of social media posts centring around making use of this opportunity to build new habits. So many challenges are bombarding the internet that a person will remain spoilt for choice.

The power of social media is indeed massive. It is a great idea to utilise this time in hand to pursue a hobby you’ve always wanted to, or inculcate a habit you’ve been meaning to add to your daily life.

Of course, we will want to make the best use of this and strive towards perfecting that skill or habit in a short period of time. Reality check: We will all come back to square one if we try to cram it in all at once.

There is this lovely quote which goes:
“Slow progress is better than no progress.”

There are no shortcuts to bringing a significant change in our lifestyles. We cannot expect them to magically transform our lives overnight. No, not happening. What is in our control is our consistent efforts to move ahead. Consistent. Yes, that’s the word. If you progress consistently, you are sure to reach your goal. It is definitely going to take time to see the results, but it will surface if you keep at it.

As long as you continue doing what you’re doing, nothing else matters. Slow progress does not mean you have failed to achieve what you wished to. Ever seen the way a bird builds its nest? It hunts for twigs and scraps from all around, flies to-and-fro, and bit-by-bit brings together the nest. What was first a pile of random twigs turned into a beautiful nest. The bird worked consistently to see the result it desired, which is the nest, in this case.

Even the tiniest of the efforts matter. Have you heard of compound interest? The interest earned on your investments adds up over time, you earn “interest over the interest already earned previously.” In this same manner, your minuscule attempts add up over time. The experiences and the learnings you gain from it help you in moving further ahead.

There’s another story about this man called Dashrath Manjhi (known as Mountain Man). He built a roadway by chipping away the hill blocking the way to his village using only a chisel and a hammer. It took him 22 years to complete the work. But he remained persistent and continued with his work. Yes, it took a long time to build the roadway. But what seemed impossible at first turned out to be possible at the end.

Do you aim to run a marathon someday in future? Start by jogging or running for 2 minutes each day. Just 2 minutes. But do so consistently. In no time you’ll move to 5 minutes, then 15, then 30, and soon you’ll be running like a professional athlete! Yes, it seems too good to be true, but it is achievable!
Do you aim to read more books? Read just 5 pages each day, but keep at it. In no time, you’ll be devouring books like a maniac.

In the end, all that matters is to just keep going ahead and remaining consistent. Each passing day, you’ll be one step closer to achieving your goal or inculcating your new habit.

Until next time, stay blessed, stay safe and stay home!

Quote source: Tiny Buddha

Image source: Stock Images

Image created via Canva