Be Cautious about Progress

Progress can be a tough thing to handle. Humans are creatures that struggle to appreciate the present but have laser like focus to what is NOT going on. My quality of life with the physical requirements has never been better. I have an apartment, lights that always turn on, water that gets hot, a truck that always starts. My physical body is performing at a level that I have not experienced - body fat percentage is low, my strength is coming back up, the society induced image of "man" I think I am embodying, cardio is up, and ability to manage pain is high. The business is doing great with all metrics across the board going up. The gym is starting to figure out how to actually create change in people's lives with the community, personal performance, and habits. Still there is more....

I am of the mental frame that I focus on what is not than what is. When i am being coached I prefer that you tell me what is wrong and not what is being done right. What ever is being done right does not need to be improved so it should be left unmentioned. This mental frame comes into when I view my life in regards to health, wealth, relationships, and happiness. The above paragraph is a mental note than something I feel. Gratitude is a learned and still conscious effort. As things in my life change - the progress - I have to be cautious with my view. As more comes I expect more without appreciating the present. This can make me negative about what my current situation is despite how far it has come. I end up feeling the same way as when I was a bum in my 20's even though I am in my 30's and actually contributing back to the world around me. This conundrum shows up with our performance in the gym - we wonder if the out of breathe and death feeling will ever go away. No that feeling will never go away but it takes more fitness to get us to that feeling. The same is in life - we will always feel like it is good enough, we will beat ourselves up, we will go back to the same destructive views no matter what new level of worth and value we are providing. Be cautious about your progress. By being aware of the trap of progress and success we can prepare ourselves for it.

(As I push myself, always to the breaking point, things will break. This article has been all over the place.)