Conventional wisdom says that progress is about moving forward. I’m here to tell you that sometimes, progress just means moving.

I know it can be overwhelming when we embrace the Asset Mindset and really start to look at the things we want to change in our lives. From leaps of faith to taking the plunge, to the dipping your toe ever so slightly into the water, moving progress can be thrilling…and scary.

Wait, scary? Aren’t you the Green Beret guy who jumps out of planes without blinking an eye?

Absolutely. Being a Green Beret and using the Asset Mindset doesn’t mean we never feel fear. Heck, you should worry about someone who never feels fear because that’s a whole other can of psychopathic worms. The point is that the Special Forces and the Asset Mindset both train us not only to accept that we will feel fear, but also ingrain in us the attitudes and behaviors that will get us past fear.

Analysis Paralysis is not Progress

Fear, anxiety, self-doubt…everyone experiences these emotions (unless you’re one of those can-of-worms-psychopaths, and then I got nothing). Too often, though, we get hung up in the why of these feelings instead of focusing on what will help us make progress.

This isn’t to say that introspection, analysis, professional counseling, and general mental health aren’t an important part of the process for many people, myself included. But anxiety-induced procrastination or just general self-loathing can push genuine self-examination over the line into outright navel-gazing.

Or, to put it another away, not doing anything is the worst possible action we can ever take. The solution is as I say in my book: just do something. Even if it feels we are taking a step back or regressing, that’s still progress. It’s movement. We back up to gain greater momentum for a jump. We back up to get a fuller view of our surroundings.

Just break the spell of stillness, of procrastination paralysis, of being frozen in anxiety. And, if you don’t believe me, there’s this Sir Isaac Newton guy (ever heard of him?) who came up with this snappy rule:

Objects in motion tend to stay in motion.

People are the same. When we move, when we do, we move more and do more. The smallest of actions in the direction we want to go in is an accomplishment when compared to not doing anything.

So, next time you feel stuck or like you’re not making any progress, just keep moving.