Making Progress

Sometimes I think I am going in circles.

My journey does not seem like a pilgrimage, with a destination. It feels to me like I am going around and around, covering the same ground, never getting anywhere. I know that I have been here, worked on these challenges, heard this all before.

Am I making progress?

I work with people, and they do not automatically become fulfilled, or happy, or effective. People tell me they feel like they are spinning their wheels, facing the same obstacles, struggling with the same questions.

They ask me whether we are really making any progress.

We expect that when we work on challenges, things will begin to get better. It may not happen over night, and it may not be easy, but we expect to make progress. We expect to gain momentum and, eventually, become successful.

Sometimes I feel like we should be moving faster, finding more success sooner. I expect that we should be making more progress.

Our pilgrimage is not in a straight line.

We are not climbing a hill, or plowing a field, or working to accomplish carefully arranged objectives.

Our progress is not measured in one direction.

Our pilgrimage is a journey of exploration and discovery. We are not drawn to sail the oceans searching for distant lands, or fly through space to map galaxies that are far, far away.

It may seem that we are wandering in circles, revisiting questions we have already answered. Our path is not a circle, but a spiral, going deeper with each step.

I am exploring the hidden territory deep within my own heart.

Each time I pass something familiar there is new depth to explore.

Where is your journey of discovery taking you?

Can you tell whether you are making progress?

[Image by dorena-wm]