I had an early-early flight, so I booked a hotel near the airport and took the train out the night before. Problem was, I’m so used to going to the airport that I forgot to get off at the hotel stop and instead rode all the way to PDX.
Then I stepped off the train and thought: Whoops. Wrong stop.
It wasn’t a big mistake—I had only gone about fifteen minutes out of my way. But when I got back on the train to return, I realized I had a choice: take a stop that was further away from my hotel, and walk the half-mile in the cold, or wait on the train an extra ten minutes for the more logical stop.
It was a no-brainer: I took the first stop and walked. Reaching the hotel, I was frozen solid, but victorious.
I made this choice and felt victorious (though frozen) because of a lesson I’ve learned: always keep moving. When given a choice between forward motion and remaining in the same place—choose forward motion.
***
This protocol serves well in both travel and life. When traveling, I hate backtracking. I happily ride in African bush taxis for six hours at a time—but only going one direction. If I have to turn around and go back the other way, I brace myself for an attitude correction. This is probably why I like Round-the-World trips—once I leave home, the only way to get back is to keep moving in the same direction.
In life, moving forward is not always the best choice, but that’s not the point. The point is we don’t always have complete information about the choices available to us. (If we did, there would be little indecision.) Because we don’t have all the information, we need to make the best possible decision, and I think moving forward improves the odds.
Oh, and if forward motion fails you sometimes? That’s OK—just find a different way forward, and don’t make the same mistake. Keep a list of everything you want to do, and work on it every day. MOVE FORWARD.
As Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” You might miss some shots when choosing forward motion over waiting it out. But if you don’t take action, you’ll never know.
When in doubt… choose forward motion.
###
Image: Kees
January 6, 2011
Tom Meitner
Great analogy, Chris! If I’m driving towards something, I’m fine, but if I find myself backtracking and going in circles, I start getting anxious and crabby. It amazes me how many people today are willing to sit in the same spot in life and not go anywhere. Have an idea about what direction you want to face, and then just push yourself forward. I find that, once you get going, you should have enough momentum to keep going in whatever direction you are trying to go. You can always find your way as you go along.
January 6, 2011
Kathy Dee
I used to live in Brooklyn, NY and had a long practice of taking whatever train came along, as long as it was going in my direction… although there were times when it paid to go another. This practice was especially useful on local and express trains on the same track. When I would tell people about moving forward, they would get this deer in the headlights look…some even said why would you do that… I would just shrug my shoulders and say something like Gretsky said. THANKS for the reminder.
January 6, 2011
Wyman
Not being a great fan of walking in freezing weather, I would have waited ten minutes for the next train. I always carry a book for such occasions.
Some times a pause to think is better than moving forward for the sake of moving forward.
January 6, 2011
Pascal
This is exactly the way I think. I can’t count the number of times I decided to just walk instead of waiting for the bus to come. It ended up that sometime I just walk all the way to my destination and sometime it takes longer but at least, I’m moving and I enjoy walking. I don’t like waiting and standing stand when I know I could be moving forward.
Cheers,
Pascal
January 6, 2011
Sean
Great thoughts Chris!
This goes along nicely with a theme I’ve been thinking about lately which is action. Action always wins. The person who’s taking action, or moving forward, is always going to come out on top.
In fact, it seems the people who really make things happen are the ones who don’t seem to stop moving! Maybe it’s due to the fact that it’s easier just to stay moving than to stop and have to restart all over again.
January 6, 2011
Gaijinchic
Forward motion always wins for me. Perhaps this is why I hate being asked when will I go back to my home country. The BACK word scares me. I can’t see myself going back if it means going backwards. I have far too many countries on my list of places to live in. Onwards and upwards!
January 6, 2011
wilson usman
Action…action…action
It really is the only way we can keep moving FORWARD. For so long we’ve been taught to wait, or hope tomorrow something is going to happen that will change your life or make you RICH, unfortunately none of those things happen,
Well. they do, if you take Action! If you start doing the (actions) necessary to get where or what you want.
Another great reason to keep moving and taking action is that it helps to fight your fears and learn that sometimes what we fear is not that much BIG a deal, I say this from experience. By doing things that scare you, teaches you that is wasn’t that bad after all.
keep moving, keep failing, and do it quick before you get to old. Don’t want to get to where you start saying “son I wish I would’ve” just start doing it now, so you can say “I did it all, and I don’t regret it”
January 6, 2011
Barb Chipperfield
Love your post. I always have believed in staying in motion and it usually works out for me. But on the other hand when really not sure what to do my motto is “sit down and have a beer”. Your quote from Wayne Gretsky is one of my all time favorites and SOOOO true.
January 7, 2011
Alex Blackwell
Simple, true and powerful message indeed.
Moving forward is always progress – even when the destination is unintended.
Alex
January 7, 2011
Ryan Renfrew
Great point,
As Winston Churchill once said “when moving through hell, keep going”
bLAZE yOUR tRAIL
January 7, 2011
Anna
Very true! At times like this I imagine a Nike swish and say, “Just do it.”
January 7, 2011
Donovan Owens
This is one of the best posts that I’ve read in a long time Chris.
Forward motion delivers so much reward, especially, when it’s done to fulfill your life’s purpose. And if your life’s purpose is providing value to the world, that’s an added bonus.
Forward motion… doing something that truly matters.
January 7, 2011
Amber
This is fairly off-topic, but the last time I was at the grocery store I saw “Gretzky’s Green Tea”. Tagline: One Great Tea. Now I can’t think of him without laughing. Although, still, he took the shot, and fought against conforming to expectations, so you have to give him that.
January 8, 2011
Farnoosh
This, once and for all and at long last, explains why I am depressed coming home from any vacation anywhere….the “return” trip, coming back, tracing back the route we took, somehow does not feel great even though I am homesick and ready to be home….I just have to opt in for those round the world trips next. We did a mini-one last year and it was phenomenal. Chris, you are brilliant!
January 8, 2011
Alexis Martin Neely
A similar concept came up for me at the beginning of the year – if in doubt, say yes. Lean into yes… try more things, make more mistakes, be willing to open to learning & discovering more answers. You can always change your mind after you’ve given it a try.
Thanks for the reminder to keep moving forward Chris.
A
January 8, 2011
Michelle
Forward motion…. funny that your mail came on a day where I was on my 3rd leg of a trip back from Germany. My last flight to return home was ORD to MIA. I arrived early at the airport and uncharacteristically asked if I could switch to the earlier flight. Always forward motion. I like it, I adopt it.
January 8, 2011
Jenn the Greenmom
This is awesome, and advice I need right now…I’m at that place where I did the legwork to (hopefully) bring my dreams/goals into actual action, but have to now wait to see if it bears the fruit I hope it will…the temptation is there to just sit back and wait another couple of months to see what happens, but I can’t do that–I still need to keep moving, keep going forward. (And even in the last week or so, there’s been good stuff coming up, job opportunities, a book offer, stuff that may not specifically address those seed-planted goals, but on the other hand, who knows?)
Thanks for the words!
January 9, 2011
Wendy J
I agree with Wyman. Moving forward for the sake of moving forward can be an avoidance strategy, and pausing for thought or reflection can be beneficial. The social work field has an expression for situations where this is the case: Don’t just do something, sit there!
January 9, 2011
Steven Yang
It’s far better to move forward, collect information on the spot and adjust your way to your destination than to hesitating over what’s the next step you should make.
In real world, there is no situation with holistic information, we can only trust our experience, judgment and feedback along the way.
January 19, 2011
Masha Tkacheva
It was amazing to read this article after my latest adventure a week ago.
I had a flight with a stop in Istanbul. It was scheduled for a couple of hours, but two days before flight the first flight was changed and I had 9 hours between flights. I said: “Wow! I can visit the city!” And spent a great day in Istanbul just by pure chance! My lesson: never listen to people suggesting to sit and wait (this was an advise from the guy in the tourist information desk: “It will take almost an hour to go to the city…”)
Chris, thank you for sharing your ideas and your thoughts.
Good luck on your way and best wishes for the new year!
Masha.
January 25, 2011
Brett Henley
Ah, the inevitable push and pull in every direction but the one that matters most.
Perhaps if we spent less time focused on “plan” and “react” and more on “do” and “action,” forward would be the only logical option.
Thanks as always Chris.
February 2, 2011
Jen M.
I always save your posts to read “later.” Today, I’m glad I did this. This was exactly the message I needed today. It’s especially interesting to note that I read it today, 2/2, which is a Holiday for me–at Holiday during which I’m planning on working toward just that: Moving Forward.
Several years ago. I chose not to move forward out of fear. I’m paying for that now by being stuck in a really, really crappy day job. I’m working to change it, but it’s a huge challenge, because this job is one of those “no forward movement”, “career ruiner” type jobs.
Thank you for this post. I know I am moving in the right direction now. I just need to learn patience!
February 12, 2011
Tony Signorelli
I am new to your site, but I love this post. It is so true for so many things. You may be familiar with Harry Beckwith on selling the invisible. If I remember it correctly, his quote:
“Do something. Do ANYTHING, but do SOMETHING.”
I see this for travel, but in my life, it really applies to entrepreneruship and small business. Thanks for reminding us again.