Progress is Not Linear

I’ve been online for 9 years. I think perhaps on the outside progress looks linear - but I’m here to tell you it really isn’t.

I think most of us feel like everyone else has their shit together - but that we are a mess. That’s how I feel, that people have an image of me, and that I definitely do not live up to it. 

Over the last nine years, I’ve really had highs and lows, and maybe the last eighteen months have been some of the toughest. 

I’ve questioned if the path I’m on is even right for me, but I’m still here. An anniversary seems like the best time to consider where I am, where I have been, and where I hope to go.

I want to highlight that success, longevity, or whatever you want to call it, is not a linear journey. On every level, it is a continual beast, that requires constant attention. I am not likening it to Sisyphus and his boulder, but it is similar. From the inside, it can feel like a slog. 

This is why I always try to remind myself - and you too - that it is vital you take a breather to stop and appreciate the view. This clumsy metaphor is here to emphasise that we need to celebrate success, effort, and achievement. We also need to acknowledge struggles, setbacks, and the mess of it all. 

I do know that I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I love the business I have created for myself and the ability it has given me to help change the world in small ways. I also know that I don’t feel as positive about it every day, and that’s okay to. 

As I said, progress is anything but linear!

I do the best I can, balancing output, mental health, and my abilities. This will always be all I will ever ask of myself. I offer you that kindness too.

I might be celebrating my anniversary- but I never take progress and progression for granted.