Nine Ways to Keep Moving Forward in Life
Around here we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things. – Walt Disney
Article written by Alex Blackwell. Connect with me on Facebook.
Life can hit hard. Sometimes you get knocked down when you don’t even see it coming. Some are cheap shots, some are glancing blows and some can bring you to your knees. When this happens, it’s not about how hard you get hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, but still find the strength to keep moving forward. It’s about having the will to continue in spite of the obstacles.
It is interesting where inspiration can be found at times. Our son, Andrew, bought the Rocky Series not long ago. This DVD set contains all six Rocky movies. Recently, I had an opportunity to watch the last movie in the series, Rocky Balboa, with my son. The movie contains a very poignant scene between Rocky and his son. The message Rocky delivers is one of hope, courage and determination when life hits hard:
ROCKY BALBOA: IT AIN´T ABOUT HOW HARD YOU HIT … – For more funny videos, click here
This scene is a great reminder that character is not defined by what happens to you, but rather by how you react to what happens to you. When you get hit, do you stay down? Or do you reach down somewhere deep inside of you and pull up the courage that lifts you back on your feet to keep moving forward? You do have a choice. Consider these Nine Ways to Keep Moving Forward when you are faced with this choice again.
Forget Regret
Leave your mistakes and regret in the past. They don’t define your value, then or now. When you stay in the past you become stuck and unable to move forward. We all have made mistakes with our job choices, friends and relationships. The consequences can hit us pretty hard. However, to begin learning how to put these experiences behind us – by letting them go, we can begin to live in the here and now. Give yourself the gift of forgiveness and keep moving forward.
Learn from Failure
Learning from failure and having regret are two separate things. Regret is an emotion; a feeling of disappointment along with a modest amount of shame or guilt. But to look back at a circumstance and figure out what went wrong gives you some very important information. This review allows you to evaluate what worked and what didn’t, and more importantly, why. Often when you are removed from a situation, you can look at it more objectively which will allow you to make better choices to keep moving forward.
Ask for Help
You are not alone. It may feel that way sometimes, but there are many people who would extend their hand and lift you up if asked. All you have to do is ask. Consider co-workers, neighbors, or your church. Often times we are afraid to ask because we don’t believe we are worthy to receive the help. Think about this: we are surrounded by millions and millions of people by design – for a purpose. A hand to grasp, a shoulder to cling, and a face to radiate hope can help you to keep moving forward.
Believe You are Worthy
Whatever your goal, your dream, or your desire, you are worthy of achieving it. The closer you get to it is when the enemy of you soul will begin putting doubt in your mind by playing the self-limiting tapes that say you are not worthy. Replace these old tapes with a newer one that contains the truth – you are worthy to have your heart’s true desire and to keep moving forward.
Take 100% Responsibility
Except in rare and unfortunate circumstances, you are responsible for the quality and condition of your life. Your career, your relationships and your happiness are all under your direct control. Sometimes we choose to do nothing when we get hit hard because it’s just easier and less painful that way. But the real pain is only deferred. You have to live with yourself. You have to live with the voice in your gut, your inner wisdom, that says you gave up too soon or didn’t try hard enough. When you hear this inner voice speaking to you, it’s usually right. It’s your choice, then, to get up and keep moving forward.
Know What You Want
This isn’t about the how, only the what. In order to move forward in life, you need a firm foundation to step from. Understanding what and where you want to go in life will provide your vision and spirit – your foundation. The how will figure itself out when you know you want to keep moving forward.
Trust
There are no accidents without value. When you get hit hard and land on your back, look for the reasons and for the value in this. Open your heart and trust this happened for a reason. Perhaps it was to test your determination or to alert you to the fact you were on the wrong path. Either way, trust the experience is happening for a reason and be open to making adjustments in order to keep moving forward.
Want it More
How badly do you want it? How badly do you really want to achieve what you are working so hard to accomplish? When you get hit hard, you have an opportunity to answer this question. It’s one thing to say you want to do something, or to be something. But to walk through the pain; to get up and keep moving forward knowing there may be more pain ahead, is a test of your determination and resolve. When you find yourself getting back on your feet, you have indeed answered this question and there’s no doubt you will keep moving forward.
Keep the Faith
Faith: A strong belief in something without proof or evidence
At the end of the day when you are weary from all of the effort and energy you have expended and you are sore and tired from being hit hard so many times, but the dream is not realized, the one thing that tells you to keep going; to get up tomorrow and to keep moving forward, is your faith. Honor this and cherish it. Faith is what makes you human. It gives you energy and hope. And if you let it, your faith will deliver you to wherever you want to go in life.
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Comments
23 Responses to “Nine Ways to Keep Moving Forward in Life”
What do you think?
I really like the first paragraph.
“A face to radiate hope,” is very encouraging to me. It reminds me that when I don’t know what to say, my face can say a lot. Hope, compassion, tenderness, longing to relieve pain,… It’s a wonderful reminder that my expression can speak when my words are silent.
Thanks.
Great article and particularly felt the Ask For Help was important as many people are coping today with many debts challenge problems and sadly this has meant that some have taken their lives.
If only they had asked for help!
Strong words that give rise to hope for the future. Well said.
EXCELLENT
Articles like this always make me feel better. Getting a burst of inspiration opens doors and lets the next step be a touch easier.
I loved the ‘Forget Regret’ part..
right now I’m taking things pretty hard about my up coming results that are in march 2009!
and I’m pressured by my parents that time to time ask me about where I’m gonna go after the results are out. I cant help but cry at the though I might disappoint them when my results come out.
thank you for these beautiful words… *tears up!*
articles like this has really lifted me up and keeping me in good spirit to look forward
I got hit so hard it woke me up to what was happening around me… It helped me answer the question of ‘how badly do I want it?’and also got the respect I deserved. Gained strength under the least expected of circumstances.
This Article is a great reminder of where our focus should be… cheers!
Your article is full of hope. I have had a lot of losses and failures, and find that love and friendship are very important. Do not hesitate to lean on those around you
I enjoyed reading your article.It inspires hope to move forward in spite of all the odds.
My life has been full of hard hits and fights, and in all cases except one, my relationship with my wife, they have all given me the opportunity to ask myself how much I want what I was going after. And in all cases except one, I’ve chosen to give it away because honestly, I didn’t want it as much as I thought. To admit that I was expending a huge amount of effort on something I didn’t really want and to give it away filled me with a place of peace where anxiety and fight once was. I don’t have to wonder, the voice inside is saying, ok, let it go, use your energy on something worthwhile. I haven’t found a new activity to move forward with yet, it’s been a while too, but at least I know what it won’t be with certainty.
These are good steps that I should be following. I’m a high school student with low self-esteem and currently at a loss of motivation. I keep spacing myself away from the things I want and I keep allowing myself to sit idly as I watch opportunities go away.
But I really need to reform myself and I’ll try to put these nine steps into my life
I found this helpful. I am in high school but I feel that the world wasn’t for me but after I read this article I feel like i have many ways to keep going. I have many dreams but I was keep lettng them go and watch them being ruinned. Thanks for this article
At times we need just the right words to take us out of our slumber.
the article is timely.i love it.is encouraging
I’ve been thru hell and needed 2move forward so i took my phone typed some words and came across dis article. I must tell u, wit dis i just kn i’ve no option but 2move 4ward. Thanks
i must say i was realy motivated by those words shared, pls drop 2 my mail any useful article. I love u guys. Thanks so much.
As someone who is recovering from a divorce, the points raised here are extremely relevant. Articles like this are essential for me, and anyone in a similar predicament, to remind ourselves that there is hope for the future. I need to read articles like this as they provide a constant source of motivation when I feel like throwing in the towel.
Thank you for writing this.
This is wonderful! Thank you.
I came acrosss (or most likely God brought me here
) as I was beginning to feel like I was at the end of my tether.
Your words have indeed encouraged me in a time of doubt and insecurity and given me hope at a time I need to believe I am much more than my current circumstances, and will be much more, just as I desire.
God bless you.x
this was be wonderful
Motivational……..
[...] character possesses a need to keep moving, to travel. He quickly becomes bored with familiar surroundings, and wants for [...]
I think the part about taking 100% responsibility so important- until you do that none of the rest of the advice will help. I’m a career late bloomer (college graduate, but struggling) and my best friend is a social late bloomer (35 year old virgin). It’s been hard to separate my issues from hers at times, but I’m realizing how things have been over the years- instead of helping eachother move forward we’ve often held eachother back and stayed in a safe spot together. While she’s finally taking some steps in the right direction, I’m still having a tough time. I want to be happy for her, but I can’t help feeling resentful that she’s now doing things with other friends that she would never do with me. While it’s great that she’s finally ready to get out there and take some risks and meet new people I feel like our friendship has turned toxic. I’m trying to take responsibility only for my share of the problem. We grew up in a repressed religious atmosphere and so I know most of what she’s going through isn’t personal or about me. I went through this phase she’s in 20 years ago when I was 15- I went to a large public high school and was forced to sort it all out at that time (as a teen when most people do it). She stayed close to her mom/dad so she’s only just getting to this phase of independence in her social life. I want so badly to be supportive and yet I’m just angry at her. Plus, I’m a career late bloomer, so I’ve got a lot of my own issues to resolve. She’s going through things now that most people go through in high school. While I have been struggling in my career I went through all the major life milestones pretty much on time with everyone else- prom, getting my driver’s licence, going to parties and meeting boys, losing my virginity, etc. I’m not sure if I can be close with my bff in this next stage of life. We’re just in such different places. It’s a difficult transition to try and figure out my own mess, but having to factor in her crap also is overwhelming at times. Honestly, I think she needs to the space too, b/c I don’t feel like we’ve pushed eachother forward. I also often feel like since she’s never had a relationship, the emotional burden of that need for intimacy sometimes falls to me. I don’t think she’s a lesbian (not that there’s anything wrong with that), just really insecure and afraid to date. I’m not a man and I can’t give her what she really needs, which is validation as a woman that she’s desirable. No matter how many times I am a cheerleader for her, I’m only her friend. I can’t give her the confidence that some dating success would give her. And vice-versa, she can’t give me the confidence that figuring out my career path would give me. I don’t know why it’s so hard to sort this all out, only we’ve been friends for almost 30 years now. Basically, since we’re both late bloomers we can’t really help eachother and as far as I can tell there’s a lot of resentment on her part, too (i get the feeling she thinks it doesn’t show, but it does). I’m wondering if any other late bloomers have had similar experiences? At first glance, you’d think that since I’m a late career bloomer and my friend is a late social bloomer that maybe we’d balance it out and could help eachother. But mostly we just hold eachother back.