We talk about our children making progress and doing well but what does that actually mean? How do we measure good progress? Do we expect too much?
Progress means making a series of small steps that push you to be slightly better than before. This might be steps that push you outside of your comfort zone. This is true for all of us whether we are encouraging our children or trying something new as adults.
Let’s take a look at comedian Kevin Bridges as an example…
He started off joking with his mates – just mucking around. The next step was telling jokes to his brother which then led him to doing a 5 minute unpaid amateur slot at the local comedy club. He didn’t stop there he continued to push himself and went on to do a 10 minute slot and then a 20 minute slot. Next he did a paid show and when this went well he did a Saturday night paid show. Kevin continued pushing himself and making small steps which led to him eventually performing live on stage for an audience of 10,000 people. Did he stop there? No, he continued to make progress and went on to perform live at the Apollo watched by 5 million people on the T.V.
We may think something is out of our reach or not possible but actually if you make the first step and then the next… and then the next… before you know it you will be much closer to your goal.
Small steps make the final goal more manageable and achievable. Set your sights high and keep pushing yourself to make progress!
