Progress Is More Of A Spiral

I saw a graphic on Instagram the other day that I’ve been thinking about a lot. Unfortunately I can’t remember who posted it so I can’t give them credit. It was a spiral with the word ‘goal’ written in the middle. It was a really helpful reminder to me about the nature of progress, and how it is often different than we expect it to be.

I often feel like I’m going in circles. That I keep going through the same basic challenges with a slight change of the details. But progress isn’t linear. It’s almost never a straight line. The spiral image is the closest thing I’ve seen to what progress is actually like. Even on the days when I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere I am still working my way inwards towards my goals. It can be a slow spiral inwards but progress is still progress.

The truth is I am going in circles, but my circles are still getting me slightly closer to my goals. Every experience is a chance to learn something about myself or my illnesses. Each and every turn around the circle as I learn things and then apply what I’ve learned I make the circle a bit tighter, a bit closer to my goals.

This can be incredibly frustrating at times. We all want a short cut, a way to cut through to the middle of the circle. But that’s just not how this works. Many of our successes in life are the results of learning how to adapt. We adapt to the circumstances we find ourselves in and learn how to succeed within that framework.

I think we subconsciously think of progress as something getting wholey better. The destination as opposed to the journey. These ideas don’t take into account where we start or what challenges we face along the way. If I had a mile to walk to get to my destination then a walking a half mile would be progress. But if I have 100 miles to walk then walking a half mile doesn’t feel like progress, but it still is. It’s the same amount progress in either example.

I think progress is better thought of as an increased ability to deal with the things you face, perhaps resilience is a better word. We can’t control the hardships that we face, but we can learn to deal with them more effectively, with less suffering. With this mindset the spiral makes more sense. Progress is not defined by reaching my goal. Progress, rather, is my ability to handle well the things that I face on my way towards my goal.