The thought of taking steps backward used to overwhelm me.
I only wanted to go forward.
It wasn’t just a desire not to go backwards.
It wasn’t just a simple fear or concern.
It was a visceral reaction with anxiety and fear.
It is what limits me as a leader. And, it also makes me a valuable asset.
The desire not to move backwards makes me consider every possible path forward.
It is the desire not to move backwards that consumes my mind.
It is what makes me want to take in every bit of relevant data.
It is what makes me want to read every worthy book and article.
It is what makes me want to create differentiated strategy, and make progress.
I desire REAL progress, not PRETEND progress.
I want my progress to be REAL. I want my success to be REAL. I want to my love to be REAL. I want my impact to be REAL. I want my life to be REAL.
By REAL, I mean, I want it to be TRUE to who I am, TRUE to what I believe, TRUE to what I value.
As I get older, I realize that is ultimately the only path forward… the path of authenticity.
Occasionally, that journey brings you to a fork. It’s why “The Path Less Traveled” poem by Frost pushes so many of our buttons.
I believe we all want to take OUR own path. Our TRUE path. And, in order to do that, we must know who WE are, and then we must have the courage to ACT on our own behalf.
I realize now that the path to TRUE is rarely a straight one. And, it is rarely an easy one. And, it is rarely one that only moves forward.
The path to TRUE takes the path it takes. Trying to predefine it, by definition, challenges what is ultimately TRUE.
Harmony dictates that TRUE happens in the moment. And, when TRUE doesn’t happen, that is where disharmony lives.
I worry less about going backwards these days. My desire is to move toward TRUE. And, the first step is always to understand what that is… to me.
So many things that I have read over years comes back to me and makes more and more sense as I better understand who I am.
That doesn’t make the forks any easier to figure out. There is a reason why we aspire to the path less traveled, but we so often don’t take it.
The only way to know if you have moved toward TRUE, is to move toward YOU. And, only after you have made the move can you tell if it was forward or backward.
Move in harmony…
Move in TRUE…
And, if you fail, and fail, and fail again,
That is life.
And, if you just keep showing up and trying again, over and over and over and over and over again… and never give up aiming, aspiring, reaching, trying for TRUE.
That is harmony.
That is purpose.
That is success,
That is happiness,
or, at least, the very best of it that we can possibly achieve.
Never ever giving up on harmony,
That is my gift to you, and to me.
Nestor