Keep Moving Forward

When it's tough, when it’s challenging, when you want to stop…what will you do?

Will you say to yourself, I’ll get ‘em next time?

Will you say to yourself, It just wasn’t meant to be?

Will you tell yourself that it’s just not your time?

Or, will you keep moving forward?

We all have choices to make. We all hit turning points. Those points of seemingly no safe return, when, should we keep going, it seems foolish. We all face those times in life. On our journey, time after time, we face the option to keep going or to stop.

It’s been my repeated experience that the thing I was searching for was right there, hiding behind the obstacle that made me stop. That thing I didn’t do was the same thing that I had to do a little later. The only thing that was different was time had elapsed. I had to face an identical or similar obstacle, later in life, and I chose to keep going forward versus stopping.

If you’ve been reading these for any length of time, you know I’ve written about the differences in choices and decisions. We can recant on a choice, but decisions are a bit different. Decisions require us to cut off. Decisions require us to commit. Decisions require a bit more. In my experience, you don’t back on decisions.

I’m at a pivotal time. I’m faced with a choice, but it’s really a decision. It’s the jumping off place I’d alluded to before. My point of safe return is a distant memory. I kept going and here I am again, at a place when it seems as if moving forward would be folly. It seems as if stopping would be a waste as well. During these times I only know to do one thing: Ask for clarity.

Years ago, Mike and I were sitting poolside smoking cigars. We were discussing our morning routines. After I shared my routine, which at the time was a simple statement. “Show me what you want me to do and help me get it done.” Mike suggested, “You might wanna add, and make it obvious.” That was a profound change and it’s worked. “God, show me what you want me to do, help me get it done, and make it obvious.” That worked for years afterwards.

Some days, some decisions, some options are beyond me and my understanding. There’s no harm in asking for clarity. There’s no harm in asking for help. There’s only upside gains, no losses. I believe in something bigger than myself and for years I’ve nurtured that relationship. It’s evolved and grown over the decades and is beyond labels like, God, Allah, and the like. Today, it’s “My Creator” but later it may evolve to something else. It’s about trusting and believing in something bigger, more intelligent, and wiser than myself. I have that today, but it takes time.

Today and for the last couple of weeks I’ve been faced with making a decision. Though I haven’t made a conscious decision to keep moving forward, I haven’t stopped either. My actions are speaking when my words are inadequate. I’m still doing what I’ve been doing and haven’t stopped. So even as I write this, I’m realizing I have made my decision. I made it weeks ago. It just took me a bit to realize what I decided is what I’d been doing.

Today, Thursday, September 5, 2024, I am grateful that: