Blog, Coaching, Health issues, Today I learned, Writing

Intentional Progress

Progress is scary sometimes.

Most of the time we get to a point in our lives, look back, and say “Wow! Look how far I’ve come!”

That’s not the scary kind of progress.

That’s progress that has happened to us, and while we are likely the reason we’ve progressed, it’s not always on purpose.

Have you ever experienced a challenge in your life where you get to the other side of the difficulty and realize you’re a better person for it? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

That’s not scary progress.

Scary progress is intentional. On purpose.

Intentional progress.

Have you ever set out to do something on purpose? Set a goal? Decided to make a change in your business? You’re consciously choosing to do something different in order to improve. This is intentional progress, and it happens in many forms.

Examples from my life (in the last week)

In Business

I started TextMyJournal over a year ago. October 2014 was the pilot study, and that came after months and months of research. After the pilot study I made some changes (intentional progress) and launched in February.

My progress at that point became passive. I was terrified. TextMyJournal wasn’t quite what I had envisioned, and so I stopped pressing for progress.

Within the last week, I’ve made some changes. I’ve set out to make intentional progress and it’s scary. It’s vulnerable. It’s uncomfortable.

It’s also incredibly exciting.

In Mind

November is awesome. Everyone gets all grateful and the world seems a little brighter. I’ve decided to express gratitude every day, too, but in a less… social sort of way.

I’ve seen a change in my life already – and it’s only been 5 days. Five days. I look forward to experiencing the change after a month! This is intentional progress. I’m intending to express gratitude.

It’s been remarkable to remember to be grateful.

In Health

There have been several changes I’ve made regarding my health in the last week or so. I am a firm believer that if you want something, you should give it, too. For example, if you want health, you should give health. (Melissa Ambrosini articulated this beautifully in a newsletter she sent out recently).

I’m making intentional changes to be healthier. I’m eating less sugar and processed food, I’m eating more fruits and vegetables. I’m drinking more water. I’m getting more sleep. I’m moving more.