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The journey to progress contains a lot of ups and downs. As much as we want to embrace and keep a sunny disposition for every second, a constant love for the bumpy yet fulfilling road to progress could be hard to maintain.
While it's completely normal (and healthier) to feel the range of emotions and challenges to weave a type of progress that feels genuine and whole, nothing beats feeling content about our pace. Nor does knowing that there's always a way to climb out of a rut when we naturally find ourselves lingering in it too long. It allows us to have a healthier approach towards the common notion of progress— breaking the idea that you need to come out of it completely bruised and battered for it to matter or be valid.
Our counter-proposal: allowing ourselves to feel good about our journey. Whether you're stuck in a rut or just at the part of your journey where you've found yourself in a comfortable rhythm, finding ways to spice and boost your daily routines could make a difference and give us a spring in our step that we could need sometimes. Here's how we're doing it:
Appreciate the small things.
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A cup of coffee. The gentle breeze on a walk home. A moment of stillness we find with the ones we love in the morning. Gaining an appreciation for the small things elevates how we look at the world and our journey. When we put a consciously grateful eye on ourselves, the people we interact with, and the world we move in, we can create wonder. Through gratitude, we create magic that could allow one to have a renewed or rediscovered approach toward their journey that could impact us in ways we've yet to know.
Try it on:
Your next nature walk— appreciate your surroundings, the sky, and the sensations. Or during a meditative evening when you consciously ask what you're grateful for and why.
Make joy a habit.
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"Treat yourself. You deserve it," is a common saying we've heard every time we overcome a big hurdle. However, we want to foster the habit of giving ourselves pockets of joy even when we haven't made huge jumps or overcome our life's biggest challenges. Make happiness a conscious, constant thing throughout your journey.
It could look like this:
Sharing a laugh with a friend, just because. Rain or shine, (figuratively or literally) having your favorite treat or drink. Incorporating routines that pique the skin & senses without having the need to over-justify.
Seek community & meaningful connection.
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The road to progress could feel like a lonely one. The good thing is: you're not alone on it. Seeking community and connection from like-minded, like-hearted could give us comfort and relief. It reminds us that however different we are, there are moments and experiences that bind us as one. It also allows us to gain a bigger, more enriched perspective of how we could approach our journey to progress. When we seek meaningful connections & relationships, we accept and admit that we can't and don't always need to face progress alone.
Nurture it by:
Spending uninterrupted quality time with your partner. Creating plans to see your most trusted friend. Sharing an experience with your go-tos.
An act of service
The spark feels sparse when we always wait for it to come to us, or if we only allow it to surface during the end— packaged as rewards for tough journeys. Let’s break that notion. Reigniting a love for our journey is possible when we make room for it. Dedicate energy and space for joy, appreciation and connection and see just how the driving force could always be within our reach if we want it.