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This theater troupe made progress even though their theater was shut down.
I had a couple of discussions with friends this week - and in each one the idea of "two steps forward - one step back" came up. We know the expression, and I am pretty sure we all feel we've danced this one-two step at one time or another.
It can be very frustrating. Just when you feel you're making progress - it seems like something comes along that tries to knock you down a couple of rungs. Maybe it's progress in a relationship, maybe a personal goal you have set for yourself, or even getting your financial situation more stabilized. Just when you feel you're getting on top of the hill - you realize there is an even bigger hill in the distance. So what do you do?
Two steps forward - one step back?
What really is the "one step back" we refer to though? I think we all agree it's a setback - but a setback to what? Progress?
No!
That is what I came to realize this week. We (improv group) were supposed to have our monthly improv show recently, but the day before the show we our theater was shut down. Now, this really stunk (my language was a little harsher at the time). I mean, we had a string of really good shows - and by all accounts not only was this show going to be sold out, but we actually would have been turning people away at the door. All of this momentum was building, then just like that - we had to pull the plug.
One step back...right? No! You see - that's the thing. It felt like it was one step back because we were all disappointed over having the show canceled. Of course that is disheartening - but were we really taking one step back? The perceived setback on our end was that we could not perform, would lose momentum, lose money, and lose the joy of just performing. All true. Yet, if we look at the big picture - and what happened as a result - I am not sure you can call it a setback.
Two days later the guys and I met to discuss our "next steps." We were all visibly discouraged, and the meeting ended up being a chance for us to voice our frustrations. And, the more we spoke, the more we realized that we really needed to better define the direction of our group. The reality was that we weren't really taking two steps forward at all - but for the last few months we had only been side-stepping. Not moving up, or back, but just sort of side-stepping and staying in one place. Sold-out shows were nice, but it wasn't getting us to the goals we felt inside. We needed to define those goals together and figure out how we were going to get there.
So, we set some goals for the group - and are taking some immediate steps to make sure those goals can be reached once the theater is back open.
One step back?
Not at all.
The only setback was a bump in the road we hadn't anticipated. What we received was an unexpected outcome, but isn't that life? Do we really always gets what we expect? As a result, that bump forced us to reflect and take a deeper look at where we were going. By being forced to do so - we realized that there were changes that needed to be made - changes that would actually help us reach our goals faster.
Is that really a step back?
There's a statement by Mary Baker Eddy that I turn to every time I am tempted to accept a setback, she says in Science and Health, "In Christian Science there is never a retrograde step, never a return to positions outgrown."
It's true, isn't it? Not only are these "one step back" moments not setbacks - they actually push us further along than we would have achieved had they not happened. That is huge! It is the setbacks that force growth - not the other way around. For anyone who has ever done a push-up, run against the wind, or lifted weights - you all know that growth and progress does not occur without the resistance. It is how we choose to respond to the resistance that determines our progress.
When Tiger Woods won his second Master's he made a radical decision. He was on top of the golf world, the most dominant golfer - but he knew he could be better. He saw the faults in his swing - and he realized he could not achieve his goals without restructuring his entire swing. Experts thought he was nuts, and for about a year and half it looked like he was nuts. Tiger never swayed from this belief that although it appeared he had taken "one step back," he was actually progressing more than he could have by not changing his swing. Well, the rest has been history - and he continues to rewrite the record books.
Two steps forward - one giant leap forward!
Isn't that the reality? Do I really believe that God, ever-present Love, is not providing me with everything I need at every moment? If that is the case, I cannot see setbacks as retrograde steps - but rather another op-portunity for growth.
So, that resistance you are feeling right now - what are you learning from it? ;)
If you would like some life-coaching encouragement to assist you with the resistance - you know how to find me :)
Much love!
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