WHY DO I TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD BUT TWO STEPS BACK?

December 14, 2015 Riley

Why do you take one step forward but two steps back?  Have you really analyzed the answer?  What do you think the answer is?  Is it due to improper planning, poor execution, lack of dedication, internal or external forces, or is it just the way life goes? If you were to ask me ‘why do I take one step forward but two steps back?’ I’d respond immediately ‘because you are growing.’  The ‘two steps back’ is all in your mind, it’s an illusion your brain depicts.  The way you should look at it is, you’re always moving forward.  The steps back you supposedly take are merely moments of considerable growth because what comes next?  Another big step forward.  If you want to literally imagine physical steps forward and backward, the step forward is 10 feet and the two steps back equal 10 inches.  I am willing to say and most successful people will agree that the road to success is never smooth nor flat.  You want and need those ‘steps back’ because they provide you with new talents, abilities, and strengths.  Let’s ask a few questions to keep a positive frame of mind.

  • Do you have a goal? 
    • This will be your North Star.  It’s your guide, your direction keeper, your compass, your vision.  How will you ever be sure if you are progressing if you don’t have something tangible to achieve.  Achievement will never be in your vocabulary without a worthy goal.  Instead you’ll be a victim of chance.  Write your goal down somewhere, anywhere.
  • Do you reflect?
    • You will know if you are taking a step forward or backward if you reflect on where you are and where you want to be.  That can be scary if you realize you are in the ‘backward’ phase but don’t panic remember what comes next, a big step forward.  The realization that you’re taking two steps back will help you make corrections.
  • Do you think forward?
    • This isn’t thinking in the future or looking ahead. Rather, it’s a positive frame of mind.  This is thinking with progression and growth always at the top of your list.  It comes in handy when you want to say ‘I’ve taken two steps back.’  Remember that if you’re striving to achieve a goal then you are progressing and growing no matter what.

Those three questions will be a good starting point.  If you envision success, progress, growth, and even wealth as a mere state of mind, things will change for you.  I am a firm believer that one’s perception is one’s reality.  Success and failure are forever trading places and they do so with a single thought.  You can always move toward your goal even if you take ‘two steps back’ it’s a matter of how you see the ‘steps back.’  I see it this way, when I take two steps back I actually grow more than the time I take one step forward.  When I get into a situation-two steps back- I have to figure a way to move forward.  Staying there is not going to help me, I need to advance physically and mentally.  So what happens?  I finally get out of that situation and I am bigger, faster and stronger. During my two steps back I developed new habits, talents, and abilities because of the circumstances.  Thanks to those steps back I studied, practiced, and learned how to get out and not fail.  This way of thinking has been extremely beneficial in my life.  Look at things with a forward thinking mind-set, just see what happens.

With love,

The Life Decided Family

be happy.