Forward

One of the best guiding principles I’ve embodied over the past few years is to always keep moving forward. In times of doubt or uncertainty, as opposed to letting those things that scare you swallow you whole, keep going. Don’t let the what ifs stop you from making progress. Accept that you will figure it out, somehow.

This week, a long-lived fear was finally resolved: publishing other people on The Meteor Chef. After a few months of prep work and recruiting, Ben—the fellow in charge of editing—and I finally saw our work pay off. The response to the new authors was great and really helped to put our future work in a positive light. What struck me, though, is that when we started there wasn’t a clear path forward. We bobbed and weaved, turning back around from dead ends, eventually finding our way. There were plenty of points where we could have stopped, but we didn’t.

The tricky part about perseverance is that you never really know if it’s going to pay off. It’s a decidedly cumulative thing. The small, seemingly insignificant steps you make do add up over time. Usually, though, it’s not until you’re right near the finish line that you realize you made it. The entire journey, you can only guess what will happen.

The key is to not psyche yourself out. When the feelings of doubt creep in, you have to ignore them. Doubt isn’t real, it’s speculative. It’s a story about how you think something will work out when you have no real way of knowing. It’s a trap that can soak up immense amounts of energy.

Instead, you have to trust yourself and understand that you’re fully in control. If you really want something to happen or exist, you can do it. Be prepared and willing to fight to make it happen, whatever the cost. It’s in those moments of doubt where the real win takes place. If instead of curling up in a ball you show up and make progress—however small—chances are high that you will eventually succeed. Just keep moving forward.