Kim Avery Coaching

Moving Forward as Turtles Whiz By

by | 20 comments

Emails, deadlines, laundry, projects, phone calls, and a doctor’s visit – these are the things on today’s to-do list. And that’s all before noon.

You’ve had days like this. Maybe every day is like this.

TURTLE-JAYSo, how do you hold onto your dream and move forward with building a coaching business when even the turtles are whizzing by?

Last night I posted an “I’m feeling sorry for myself” status update on my writer’s Facebook group. Thinking I would garner some sympathy, I belly-ached about the myriads of things jostling for first place in my day.

This morning I popped onto the group to see over a dozen responses. It was a needed wake-up call.

Book deadlines, sick children, needy spouses, unpaid bills, unexpected trips, working two jobs, finishing a dissertation and so much more were added by others to the growing list of undone things we ALL had to do.

And strangely, the longer the list grew, the better I felt.

Caught up in my own little world, I had been imagining others driving in the fast lane towards their goals while I was still stalled in traffic. And with no way to speed up, to refuel or to catch up, why bother?

When others were eating the fruits of their labors at the great oasis of goal’s end, I would have barely moved forward one foot, all while choking down stuffy, polluted air.

Why bother, indeed!

But as I switched perspectives and looked at reality from the traffic helicopter’s point of view, it looked different than I thought.

ALL of life is a crowded highway. Sure, there are occasionally stretches of wide-open road, but eventually the other lanes of life merge into that one and the speed once again slows down to a crawl.

The coaches who move forward and succeed are the ones who break down, run out of gas, refuel and repair AND still keep going. No matter what.

They measure the journey differently.

They don’t look at those in front and rue the distance between them. They don’t look at those far behind and secretly cheer that they lapped them by a mile. They don’t even look at those traveling beside them to see who is ahead at any given point during the busyness of the day.

Successful, seasoned goal-meeters mark out their journey in advance. They set realistic mile-markers and cheer when they end the day further ahead than when they began. They don’t beat themselves up when unexpected breakdowns occur.

And they never, ever, ever take the off-ramp away from their dreams just because the journey seems too hard, too long, too lonely or too far away.

When life overwhelms, a rest stop is fine. If the project is too hard, don’t be ashamed to call for an expert to give you a lift. And when the path seems lonely, it’s okay to hitch a ride with a friend. But whatever you do, keep on keeping on.

When you look up from your life today and see the turtles whizzing by, smile. That’s good news. It means you are still out on the road moving ahead inch-by-inch.

_____________

 

20 Comments

  1. Debi

    This is so true. Sometimes I get caught up in my own little world and think that everyone is SOOO far ahead of me in terms of achieving their goals. This was a wake-up call that we all deal with the same crud everyday. I am not in this alone! Great post! Thanks!

    • Kim Avery

      Hi Debi – So glad you were encouraged. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

  2. Cheryl Thomas

    Thanks for the reminder to keep our eyes on our own race. Sometimes it is so tempting to measure ourselves against others, but I’m learning it is wiser to measure myself only against myself and the goals I’ve set. That way I don’t get sidetracked or derailed by watching someone else’s progress while I myself sit stalled.

    • Kim Avery

      Hi Cheryl, I agree. I love having goals but end up feeling defeated if I compare myself with someone else.

  3. Kinsey

    Sometimes progress is painfully slow. I feel like I’ve been moving at a snails pace toward my goals. I am just now able to look back and check off a few things. So many more milestones in front of me. At this age time doesn’t seem so plentiful. Those darn turtles need to slow down. Smile.
    Thanks for the encouragement.

    • Kim Avery

      Hi Kinsey – Those turtles do seem to be ahead some days, don’t they :).

  4. Tanya

    Sometimes I feel the same way! I feel like everyone else is achieving great things except me. Thanks for sharing!

    • Kim Avery

      Isn’t it fun to realize we are all in the same boat?

  5. Kathy

    Wow! I’m so glad I’m not alone. Thanks Kim for reminding me to keep going, slow down when I need to, and hitching a ride from a friend now and then is okay.

    • Kim Avery

      Hi Kathy,

      I especially like hitching a ride with a friend. It makes the journey go so much faster and is a lot more fun.

  6. Pam Taylor

    I really love this post. It is true that misery loves company. It helps to know we are not alone in slowly moving toward our goals. I am determined to go for the long haul and not take the “off ramp”. It is helpful to have a few “encouragers” in our hip pocket. Friends that tell us that we are doing great. It’s also helpful to have a coach (like you, Kim) that holds the dream for us when we get caught up in the shoulda, coulda, woulda trap of negativity.
    Great post! Very encouraging. Thanks for writing it, Kim!

    • Kim Avery

      You’re welcome, Pam. You are an encouragement as well. Thanks for being who you are.

  7. arleen

    Great advice. Thank you for sharing.

  8. MaryAnn Dolezal

    The first time I saw the title, I just scanned past it. The next time, its meaning sunk in, and made me laugh – it’s exactly how I often feel! Thank you for sharing – it’s reassuring to know that someone who appears to me to be flying at warp speed gets caught up on the same speed bumps as I do 🙂

    • Kim Avery

      Indeed, MaryAnn. We are all on the same road chugging along at the same pace. Glad you are here with us.

  9. Cheryl Cope

    I try to view happenings or interruptions as God-designed. I say “try” as I am still working on that part. But in general there will always be “life” right? Thanks for the reality check.

  10. Kimberly | New Spark Coaching

    Preach it, girl! I’m still a newbie entrepreneur and I’m having to be VERY patient with myself as I *slowly* integrate business activities into my life as a stay-at-homeschooling mama. It certainly does feel like everyone else is whizzing past me. BUT! I do keep reminding myself that I’m on God’s timeline – not mine and not anyone else’s. THERE IS NO RUSH.

    • Kim Avery

      Amen, Kimberly. Amen.

  11. Sharon

    Exactly what I needed to hear today. I recently read a Bible study on Gideon whom God asked to fight an entire city with a very small army. God wanted to demonstrate His power to Gideon and to the Israelites. When they took over the entire city with a very small army of just 300 men everyone, including Gideon was astonished. Your message and this study helped me to see God is able even when we are not feeling capable. We may feel we need more support, a better looking office, additional tools or something else. God has our back! We can continue to walk in faith and He will provide for all our needs and therefore, we are called to not give up! Thanks for the encouragement Kim.

  12. Marlene

    Thank you Kim! It’s what I needed today as I feel like I was making forward momentum, maybe at the speed of a turtle; but, none the less, moving forward…until. Well, until, then my body decided to be less then optimal and although I hadn’t stopped entirely, it sure felt like I was not getting anywhere…stalled I guess you could say. But, the truth is, I have only temporarily run out of fuel. Thanks for the reminder, it’s okay to stop and refuel as long as I get back on the road again!