You don’t have to go fast.
You just have to go forward.
Pay no mind to the progress of others.
Put one foot in front of the other and focus on the next step.
In the face of obstacles, setbacks, and frustration, keep going.
Focus on tiny bits of incremental growth over a long period of time.
Longevity is the only way to win this game.
INCREMENTAL GROWTH
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
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Every day is a good day to work toward your next goal.
It does not have to be much, but you should do something.
Every little bit of progress adds up over time.
In fact, trying to do too much at once will often backfire and slow your progress down.
Doing too much at once may burn you out, but it also gives you an excuse to take a break.
Doing a little bit every day, while it feels like you are moving slower, allows you to sustain your effort over a long period of time and, because you are not asking too much from yourself at any given time, makes excuses more difficult.
Do something, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, and over time it will turn into something big.
Slow, incremental progress is still progress.
More importantly, it is sustainable progress.
Each and every day, try to do a little bit more than you did the day before.
Try to work on your goals a little bit more than you did the day before.
Take a little bit more action toward your dreams than you did previously.
Put a little bit more effort into your relationships than you have been.
Try to explore your creative ideas a little bit more than you did yesterday.
Give a little bit more care, concern, and attention to the people you love.
Take a little bit more time for the things that matter.
Give a little bit less of your time to the things that do not.
Use a little bit more energy on that which excites you, drives you forward, and feeds your soul.
Use a little bit less of your energy on that which drains you, steals your joy, and robs you of your hope.
Do a little bit more for others and a little bit less of that which is selfish.
Face a little bit of your fear.
Challenge some of your preconceptions and your prejudices.
Open your mind, your heart, and your life a little bit more to joy and pain.
It does not have to be a lot.
In fact, it should not be a lot.
Slow, incremental progress is enough.
Small, determined steps forward are sufficient.
Trudge forward a little bit more each and every day toward the light and away from regret.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
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We cannot control all aspects of life, nor should we expect ourselves to be able to.
A lot of things come at us from day to day, probably more than we can effectively address, manage, or resolve.
That is okay.
Trying to solve every perceived problem, complete every task, and make progress in every direction of our lives all at once will inevitably lead to frustration, overwhelm, and undue amounts of stress because, simply put, it is an impossible task.
In fact, it is a fool’s errand to even try.
Instead of focusing on completion, closure, and resolution in all things, we must learn to focus on progress with regards to those things that matter most.
The goal, after all, is not simply to get things done, but to get things done that make a difference, that move us forward, and that change our lives and the lives of those around us for the better.
This requires that we direct as much of our attention, our effort, and our energy as we can on the people, places, and things that not only need us most, but that we can most greatly and positively affect.
This becomes much more difficult if and when we take on stress associated with things we cannot or should not try to manage, control, or change.
Progress requires efficacy and efficacy requires discernment.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.
If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
As important as momentum is to progress, momentum in the wrong direction or in too many directions at once is counterproductive.
We need to break free from the things that are holding us back, whether these are fear, procrastination, distraction, or some other form of internal or external resistance, and get moving in the direction of our personal, occupational, relational, or creative goals.
That is to say, progress requires momentum.
The more momentum we have, the more progress we seem to make and, the more progress we make, the more momentum we seem to have.
This can result in the misguided tendency to conflate the two, but momentum and progress are not the one-in-the-same.
The fact is that momentum, alone, does not necessarily give us the kind of progress we want or need.
While momentum is a powerful tool for change, if not properly informed, focused, and balanced, the change it creates can be be chaotic or even destructive.
It is far better to make slower, steadier, and more careful steps in the right direction than it is to make great leaps in the wrong direction or in too many directions at once.
By focusing on small, incremental progress, we give ourselves room to pivot, to alter or reverse our position and direction if we realize we have made a mistake or that our goals or environment has changed.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.
If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
Meditations on God 