When We Keep Going: The Strange, Brave Dance of Progress


When We Keep Going: The Strange, Brave Dance of Progress

Have you ever noticed how life rarely moves in a neat, straight line? We’re taught that success is all about relentless forward motion, hustle harder, push through, and never give up. And yet, anyone who’s ever done anything hard knows that progress doesn’t always look like a single upward climb.

Sometimes it feels like we’re wading through mud. Other times it’s two steps back, one step forward—or worse, we stand still for what feels like forever, holding our breath in the middle of the unknown. So what is it that makes us keep showing up, even when every part of us wants to quit?

The Fuel Beneath the Frustration

If you ask people what keeps them going, the answers are as messy and varied as we are. For some, it’s love—for a child, a partner, or a dream version of themselves they’re not ready to give up on. For others, it’s sheer stubbornness, the refusal to let life win without a fight. Sometimes it’s hope in disguise, that quiet voice that whispers, What if it works this time?

The truth is, the fuel that drives us doesn’t always roar like a jet engine. Sometimes it’s a flickering candle—faint but enough to light the next few steps.

The Myth of Constant Growth

We live in a culture that worships speed and results. But nature reminds us there are seasons for blooming, seasons for shedding leaves, and seasons for lying dormant underground where no one can see the work being done.

Standing still doesn’t mean you’re lazy or lost—sometimes, stillness is its own kind of motion. It’s a pause to gather strength, to let the lessons sink in, and to rest the parts of you that are bone-tired from trying so hard.

Why the Backwards Steps Matter

As frustrating as setbacks are, they teach us the edges of our endurance. They show us what we care enough about to fight for again. They invite us to adjust, tweak, and rethink. Sometimes what feels like slipping backwards is just our old self fighting to hang on while our new self learns to stand.

The heartbreaks, the detours, the wrong turns—they’re all part of this strange, brave dance.

So, what really makes us succeed?

It’s rarely just motivation. It’s not discipline alone. It’s not always the perfect plan.

It’s the deep-down knowing that you are worthy of trying again. That you can keep going even when you don’t see the finish line. That resting doesn’t mean quitting.

It’s the ability to say, Today I’m tired, but tomorrow I’ll try again. It’s learning to trust the stillness as much as the sprint. It’s understanding that “success” might look like a quiet, messy, hopeful resilience that no one applauds but you.

So if you’re here—moving forward, falling back, or standing still—you’re not failing. You’re simply human. And that’s enough.

Keep the Conversation Going

If this spoke to something in you—if you’re in that two steps back, one step forward season—I’d love to hear your story. What keeps you going when progress feels impossible?

Share your thoughts in the comments, or reach out and connect with me. Let’s remind each other that standing still, falling back, and leaping ahead are all part of the same brave journey.

You’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.

Ready to take your next small step? I’m here for it—and for you.

With love
Caron 💜💕

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