Recently, I was given an assignment to write about “evaluating your progress so far.” Seemed easy enough, but as many of you know, the things that appear to be a walk in the park seldom turn out that way. Have you ever had a task to complete, and you were stuck before you started? You couldn’t quite figure out how you wanted to approach it, what you wanted to say or what you wanted to do. That’s where I was and I had a deadline to meet.

I sought some guidance from my peers asking for their insight and, as always, they had great suggestions. But for whatever reason I couldn’t quite formulate my content about this thing called progress. Then I remembered a slogan from years ago: “Progress is our most important product.”

For decades, those words were part of the marketing strategy for a company called General Electric. It represented their commitment to technological advancement and innovation. Since the simple definition of progress is “moving forward”, as GE became a huge conglomerate that message, in different forms, continued to define them. Good job GE!

Needless to say, I’m not a huge conglomerate, but moving forward is essential whether you have a project to complete for your company, you’re writing the great American novel, or simply trying to get from here to there. You know the direct, straightforward, point A to point B. But as wisdom speaks from a few brilliant minds, if you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you get there and you’ll more than likely end up somewhere else! So, let’s begin at the beginning.

I found eight essentials for my personal modified acrostic to share with you.

1. P- pray. Then put attainable goals in place. Not just with the end in mind, but short-term checkpoints along the way that are attached to reasonable time frames.

2. R- remember your ‘why’. It will help you when you can’t see results, feel prone to procrastination, or your energy begins to wane.

3. O- obstacles often bring opportunities. Don’t be so quick to dismiss them that you might miss the steppingstones they create.

4. G- give yourself a little grace! The unexpected is inevitable. Mistakes and/or perceived setbacks are not the end of the world. They are part of the push on your path.

5. R- review, review, review! Remember those goals and dates that you put in place in the beginning. They are more purposeful than you thought.

6. E- enjoy the journey. It’s as simple as that. Whatever you are doing as unto the Lord should be a blessing, not a burden.  If you’re only feeling weight, something needs to change, quickly.

7. S- stay the course. Never give up and never give in. Approach God‘s plan, the one you prayed about, knowing that quitting is never an option.

8. S- savor the small victories. When you make that a habit, the enemy can never get you to focus on the negative or the monumental.  In everything there is a lesson to be learned. Those lessons can elevate you and bring you closer to the manifestation of the plans of God.  Celebrate!

I am pleased to report I can clock this assignment as closed, completed, done. I believe when you embrace the eight, you’ll not only know where you are at any given time, you’ll know how and when you reached the final goal. 

Perhaps I should have started this with a Warning: Long Post. I admit It may have taken a little more time than I anticipated. But guess what… sometimes that’s what happens when you’re making progress. In the end, it’s always worth it!