How to Avoid The ILLUSION of Progress…

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How to Avoid the Illusion of Progress

Your life?

Are you sure you are not just going around in circles?

Is the possibility that you could be… Too much to consider?

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On today’s step of the journey through your mind we’re going to reveal an illusion that is keeping you from making progress… And ANYTHING that holds us back, has to be understood then managed, or dropped…

Because life is hard enough without carrying baggage that we don’t need!

For a long time I wondered how people could make no progress and seem to not be concerned or rather not be concerned enough to make progress.

I knew people wanted progress so why couldn’t they achieve it?

I was fascinated by what was holding them back. I had no idea where I’d find the answer but then one day I found it, on Facebook of all places.

I was scrolling through my ‘wall’ and there was quote after quote on it. For example have you read any of these wonderful quotes:

They really are wonderful quotes aren’t they?

• “Be the change you want to see in the world” ~ Ghandi
• “Dream big and dare to fail.” ~ Norman Vaughan
• “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” ~ Winston Churchill
• “Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.” ~ Charles Kettering
• “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” ~ George Addair
• “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” ~ Karen Lamb

Anyway… I saw quote after quote come up on my wall and there were hundreds of comments and shares for each image with a quote on it.

I noticed friends commenting or sharing these quotes on their timeline.

Then I noticed that someone had shared a quote that they weren’t living to but they professed to be. I thought they may just be trying to make out they were more than they were and dismissed it.

But then I noticed more and more comments and shares from people who were not living to these quotes, but… they genuinely thought they were!

So I begun to wonder what was going through their mind when they read a quote that was obviously correct.

It turns out it’s this:

You read a quote which is obviously correct, for example:

You read that and inside your mind, you say, “Yes it is…” Or something similar…

Basically you agree with it… You feel good… Your ego says yes, well done for doing it andmaking progress… It may even tell you to reward yourself as you’re on the journey andyou are making progress…

But it’s just an illusion of progress…

The reality is, you’ve not moved on and are actually stuck but you feel you are moving forward…

This is an amazing illusion which keeps hundreds of millions of people trapped. Maybe you too?

The truth is you may be on the journey, but the whole truth is you’re still sitting at the station and have no ticket.

So what’s happening?

Your ego loves quotes, loves books and loves anything you do that gives you the illusion of progress.

But a reality of no progress…

Now I took that particular quote above from Abraham Hicks and the comment from one of the people on my Wall.

The person is on the journey, but hasn’t moved one day forward other than education in the four years I’ve known them!

I chat with them and they say how much progress they are making. But they’re not. Their ego has them totally fooled, by the illusion of progress.

This is almost exactly the same as people who study book after book and make no progress…

Test it yourself, read one of the quotes above and feel what’s going on inside your mind…

You’ll FEEL like you’ve made progress as soon as you’ve read it!

I suggest you try it to every quote UNTIL you get the feeling, though you should have it on the first quote.

The secret is awareness of the problem. Because without that we have nothing, and virtually nil chance.

So if you want real progress and not more of the same illusion of progress, then you must develop awareness by practising.

By doing this you are altering your brains neural pathways, and you are in effect putting a sign post in your mind which says… ‘Next time you come this way, don’t turn left, turn right.’

Now here’s the simple thought structure I use to stop myself falling into the trap of thinking I’m making progress when I’m not…

I read the quote: “Be the change you want to see in the world” and I have now a sign post in my mind (thanks to practising) which instantly makes me stop and consider it…

Instantly and without thought (as that’s the by-product of enough practice – in other words I changed my habit) I ask myself, “Am I being the change I want to see in the world?”

I’m not looking for a yes or no to come out straight away. If one does then I question if that’s real or if it’s my ego answering for me to continue the illusion. Your ego will like answering yes… So avoid that trap back to the same illusion.

What I’m looking for is to just consider the quote.

What happens is that I’ve pulled the cover back on the potential illusion and can now allow the wisdom of the quote to take effect. And overtime and contemplation maybe allow the knowledge from the quote to transmute into the wisdom of a way of life.

This is how you change from being someone who can talk the talk, to someone who can walk the talk. Because impressing others has a short term benefit, changing how you think, which changes how you live has a massive long term benefit.

As I think about a quote, I may begin thinking, “I am being the change, but is there more I could easily do? … Yes there is, you could do this as well. If I do that then will I enjoy my life more as a result… Well it will take you on a different path. Is that the path I should go on…”

And it goes on… Just me considering it and thinking, am I living to it?…

This thought structure makes me actually consider the wisdom of this wonderful quote and what I am doing with my life. This is changing my thinking in the process, and my world is changing as a result.

Because of this simple thought structure I am making continuous, tiny, never ending course corrections in exactly the same way as a pilot makes continuous, tiny, course corrections when flying a plane.

What happens is that as you consider options without looking for decisions… Then the right way will find itself, and as I mentioned you’ll alter the neural-pathways in your mind.

Can you feel how this is not only easy, but that it obviously will work to change your thinking?

Today I’d like you to test it out and see what you think.

Consider those quotes again, one at a time… And this time run the simple thought structure, ‘Am I living my life to this?’

But before you begin, remember this…

If you’re not, then your ego will want to chastise you and tell you that you’re bad! A loser! Or whatever… These statements are not true! Because before this moment no one had taught you how to think this way to extract the wisdom…

So AS your ego attempts to have a go at you, then turn it around with this…

1) Why should I be annoyed with myself? I am delighted with myself for discovering this, as now I can make progress! And… Give me a break as I’ve only just learnt this!

That should silence the little beastie…

As you go about your day, just keep considering those quotes or some of your favourites… You are just looking remember, no need to draw any conclusions unless some self-evident stuff comes up and if it does, well that handles itself.

Let me know below if it does or doesn’t and I’ll help.

Enjoy the day and now that we’ve raised your awareness to these quotes…

Lastly, be very careful what messages you read today as you’ll be manifesting some interesting insights…

Best wishes,

Andy

P.S. Please tell me if you are enjoying these Footsteps, and most importantly… If they are helping you find a little space between the thoughts… And if you have any questions then please ask me below.