KEEP MOVING FORWARD: If you stop here, you die here.
We’ve all been through challenging times and there are any number of great expressions on enduring the storm, reminding us to keep showing up and take things as they come.
My maxim is, “Keep moving forward – in the relentless pursuit of your dreams.” It’s not enough to just show up.
Above all else, you have to believe you can. It requires faith in your higher power or purpose. Faith you will be unharmed. Faith in the undying voice inside that repeats, “Yes I can.” If you have strong enough conviction, then let nothing stand in your way.
I believe that I’m here to serve a purpose, to overcome every obstacle and inspire others that they can, too. Because I believe this so strongly, I face adversity with the knowledge that it’s the path I must take. The obstacle is the way.
Sure, I often feel like the character in a video game who’s reached the end of the frame, seemingly banging my head against the wall. But if you tilt the controller the slightest bit, you’re eventually going to move along that wall.
It also means being willing to take a different approach. Sometimes we lose focus because we’re looking too closely. Step back and remember why you started. Trust the process.
If you feel like you’re just banging your head against the wall, keep banging. Keep moving and eventually you’re going to find a door.
It’s the subtle acts of futility that ultimately make all the difference. Don’t be discouraged. Who are you to say what won’t work? All you know for sure is what hasn’t worked and maybe a little of what you haven’t tried. It’s ok to be frustrated that your efforts may be fruitless. It’s not ok not to do the work.
Where you stop moving forward is where you will remain. Or things could get worse. But no one is coming to rescue you.
During my earlier days of endurance training, I went out for a long run with little knowledge of how to balance my blood sugars as a Type-1 diabetic. Several miles from home and without fuel, my sugars crashed.
As my vision blurred and legs wobbled beneath me, “Keep going,” I said out loud. “You can’t stop here.”
It was the only mantra that made sense.
“Don’t stop! If you stop, you die!” Louder each time. “And I am not dying here!”
I was blacking out, stumbling forward and coming too again. I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I just had to keep moving forward.
You stop, you die.
I stumbled upon a lemonade stand and survived the incident learning a very important lesson and a simple metaphor for my life:
If you stop here, you die here.
Keep going.
What’s the alternative?
To stop means you are permanently in hell.
To stop means to die. And I’m not dying today.