Re-defining Progress
My list of things which I count as progress in my journey
In a world which forces us to be more, have more, prove more and act more, it is a constant work to make yourself feel enough. On your journey to become better version of yourself, there could be moments which might make you feel that there is no progress from the last time you were here.
In those moments, it is really important to remind yourself that progress is not always something you see physically outside. Progress could be the peace and harmony you have in your heart in difficult situations. Progress could be liking what you see in the mirror. Progress could be letting yourself mess up and be ok with it. Progress could be the trust you are building on yourself by keeping small promises. To make myself feel better in the midst of chaotic thoughts, there are few things I noted down that I count as subtle yet impactful progress in my journey:
Working towards a better version of your body but not hating this version of your body: In the past, I have had better version of my body in terms of fitness and shape, but in those moments, I have always not liked my body and never felt comfortable in my body. Now I am nowhere near to where I want to be but still I am learning to love my body as it is in the present and taking actions to improve my fitness
Saying exactly how you feel, when people ask you how you are doing: I believe, every moment is a chance for you to practice authenticity. Being honest about your feelings and what you are up to is actually a chance to build a connection and if people run away when you tell them, oh I am struggling with something are either not your people or not available for building a connection due to different reasons, that may have nothing to do with you.
Acknowledging and accepting what I am feeling in a moment and taking steps to make myself feel better: I am a woman of big emotions and have always denied my hard feelings. I have labelled myself either weak or too much for having those. In the moment, where I was just one step away from breaking down, I have acted that I am all good and tried to serve others. Now when I feel something hard like overwhelmed, anxious, sad, triggered etc, I acknowledge it and take steps to make myself feel better.
Going to the same places and feeling better than what you have felt when you were here before: Feeling peace in the places where once I have cried, felt lonely, felt like a mess, felt uncomfortable, felt unsafe and felt like I don’t belong here is a big sign of progress to me.
Not panicking when things don’t go smooth: Whenever something unpredictable use to happen like my car’s tire got flat on the road, I miss the train/flight or my apartment keys gone missing, my first reaction used to be panic. I used to panic and then care of the things. Now I save energy by not panicking and can plan my plan B better.
Being hopeful about future but not hating my present: I have lived a life in the past where I was just waiting for my future as I didn’t like what I had in my present. There is no problem in having dreams about the future, but life is actually happening in the present, so you better take actions to improve your present, instead of just waiting for your future.
I hope you all are redefining your progress and not comparing your journey with others. I hope you are keeping well and thanks for being here.
Lots of love and healing,
Harneek!
This week’s recommendations:
Perfection? Here's Why 'Done' Beats 'Perfect'...#49 by
on perfectly beating perfection- on psychological reasons of hoarding things and how can we avoid it
Navigating the Substack overwhelm even when you’ve been writing for years by
. Although I am a new writer, still this helped me to understand and navigate my substack writing
I love this and it makes so much sense. Thanks a lot for sharing 🤍
Thanks for sharing my article, Harneek. Second, this is a rich list you have here, one that I believe we all can borrow from. In an age of "more is always good", a personal definition of progress is not a mere recommendation: it's now an absolute necessity if one is to remain sane enough to keep on living.