Preparing sometimes means being still

There is a common saying that if you aren’t moving forward then you are moving backwards. I’ve heard this used to relate to many areas of life - health, relationships, finances, etc. I admit I’ve relayed this sentiment to people before. I’ve come to realize that this is not always true, which is the case with many of the ideas we think of as absolutes.

Let’s look at a basic scenario - I leave my house with the goal of going to the grocery store. While I’m in motion in my vehicle (or walking) I’m moving towards the store. But if I have to stop at a traffic light and wait for it to turn green, I’m standing still but not moving backwards. It may add more time than expected to my trip, but I’m not going backwards.

So maybe we can be still at times without losing traction on our goals. What if we should be still at different steps of the process? What if feeling like we have to constantly be moving forward is actually hurting us long-term?

Have you ever baked a loaf of bread from scratch? There is a step in the process where you have to let the dough rise. It takes a certain amount of time based on the size of the batch and there is nothing you can do to rush it. You have to be still and wait. Sure, you can go do other things while you wait, but in the process of making a good loaf of bread you simply have to wait for the yeast to do its thing.

If on the way to the grocery store to get yeast for your bread making endeavor, you decide to drive through the traffic light instead of stopping while the light is red, you risk getting in a wreck. That wreck then derails your bread making opportunity and potentially stops that entire process for days or weeks. Now your goal to make bread today has truly gone backwards or been completely abandoned. Being still at the red light for a moment has huge benefits.

When I started understanding that our preparation towards our goals is more important than the process or plan that we develop, my ability to help people reach their goals improved dramatically. My coaching terminology went from “if we follow the process, I think we can see success” to “we prepared properly, now if we believe in our ability and honor the work we’ve done we will see the results we desire.”

Preparation guarantees a certain level of success. The more prepared you are, the more successful you can become. There are several parts to preparing properly to reach a goal, and one of the important pieces is knowing when to be still. We aren’t moving backwards in these still moments, we are maintaining and preparing to take the next step.

Don’t be afraid to be still from time to time. It doesn’t mean you are losing traction on your goal, it simply means you are preparing for the next step of the process of making something great that is worth waiting for.