Most of us work hard and we mean well. But we get stuck. And we get hung up, not on the big things or the months and years, but on the small things that make up our single days and hours.
You may have larger dreams for your life, but your most common struggles have to do with what you’re doing today, during this small collection of moments.
You’ve probably been forward-thinking enough to make plans, and you’re doing your best to make them happen. But even the best efforts don’t always satisfy you and, too often, you beat yourself up for that. Sometimes you feel that you will never get ahead or even get beyond the spot you’re in right now.
The only way to get unstuck is to take a step. It can be a big or little step, and you usually have a choice of directions. But it’s an action with purpose behind it, and no one else can do it for you.
Moment by moment we are making decisions and taking actions that help us move through time. Sometimes we move ahead in survival mode, ‘making it,’ but just barely, and not in a way that feels positive or successful. Occasionally, we slip backward or make choices that undo some of our progress. And sometimes we move in a way that is meaningful and gives us a feeling of forward motion.
Consider some of these simple acts of moving forward to make the most of each moment and each day. Sometimes the most important step is the first one:
- Take a walk
- Tell someone your troubles
- Take breathing lessons
- Make a list
- Think again
- Write your story
- Look to God
- Say a prayer
Excerpted from “Simple Acts of Moving Forward” by Vinita Hampton Wright
