Stop Running Pt.1: How I Transformed My Situation With 31 Days And A Pledge For Change

I know setbacks are frustrating.

They’re infuriating.

Feeling like you’ve got nothing but bad luck.

Feeling like you just can’t catch a break.

Feeling so small.

A victim to your circumstances.

I understand.

In the face of defeat, it is hard to cling to the hope that things will get better.

Especially when they aren’t getting better.

But the moment you allow your situation to make you turn tail and run, you allow your situation to control you.

So stop running.

Face it.

Take it head on.

Yes, it is hard.

But running won’t make it easier.

Take a step forward instead.

Imagine that your journey is like scaling a mountain.

Every step you’ve taken is evidence of your progress.

There is only one path.

The same one you must scale to conquer the mountain, is the same one you must descend to escape.

In short,

If you want to complete your journey, you can’t backtrack.

Every step back is progress you’ve abandoned.

A you that put in the effort is spat on.

A you that worked through sleepless nights is kicked and scorned.

A you that sacrificed their satisfaction is mocked to help you feel better.

That’s what happens when you turn tail and run.

You abandon everything that comes with taking each and every step.

I want you to imagine yourself, halfway up the mountain.

Imagine a new hurdle, or situation occurs, represented by a boulder.

There you are.

Halfway through your ascent, you are faced with this boulder.

You can see the branch holding it slowly beginning to snap.

Fear would tell you to run.

But we don’t listen to that voice anymore.

And there’s a good reason.

There’s only one path.

If you run, your situation is going to trample on you.

Not just you.

Every version of yourself.

The you that believed.

The you that doubted.

The you that feared.

The you that lost hope.

The you that had faith.

Every single one of them took a step, regardless of their feelings.

Don’t believe me?

You are the evidence.

Yes, you.

The you reading this, right now.

You are the proof that it was worth it.

Every single past version of yourself is the reason you’re who you are right now.

They built you.

They shaped you.

They refined you.

To run because of your situation is the same as acknowledging that they did all of that for nothing.

They suffered for nothing.

They cried for nothing.

They prayed for nothing.

They tried for nothing.

They grew for nothing.

They triumphed for nothing.

That’s what happens when you turn tail like a coward and run.

That’s what happens when you abandon your journey.

That’s what happens you give in.

So, stop running.

Step towards the boulder.

Take your situation with two hands.

If you can’t find your reason why, then do it for them.

Let your past selves be your reason.

Even if you can’t see a reason to keep going immediately,

At the very least, don’t give up on the you that believed.

You will be better because of it.

Victory occurs when you step toward the boulder.

There is a reason why you must step forward.

Most people think you should run because there’s a boulder in front of you.

However, it’s the opposite.

You must step forward.

Why?

It’s simple physics.

If you turn and run, the problem doesn’t just disappear.

Remember?

It’s one way down.

The longer you run, the quicker that boulder is going to get to you.

It’s all momentum.

And often in our lives, it’s no different.

We’ve all faced a “momentum factor.”

If we had faced our problems immediately and nipped them in the bud,

The damage would have been manageable.

However, we ran.

And by running, we allowed the momentum factor to supersize our problems.

Often, by the time we muster up the courage to face our supersized situation, we are left with no other choice.

It’s become too big to ignore.

Too big to evade.

The point of no return.

And there’s nothing enjoyable about being backed into a corner.

Especially, when you know there’s nothing you can do but get swallowed up by the situation.

But we don’t follow that pattern any longer.

Stop running.

Stop allowing yourself to be victim to the momentum of a problem.

Face it head on.

Tackle it before it starts rolling.

Face your fears.

Only then will you realise how small it actually is.

A stagnant boulder is significantly more docile than a rolling one.

If you had to choose, which one would you rather deal with?

Obviously, the stagnant one.

So why should your life be any different?

Why backstep at all?

Why listen to fear?

There is no reason to.

And we won’t.

Not anymore.

That’s who we used to be.

From today onwards, we’re going to stop running.

The boulder is going to roll whether you step forward or back.

But only one choice allows you to deal with your situation.

Only one choice allows you to honour your past efforts.

Only one choice primes you to grow.

And here’s a hint:

It’s not the one where you run.

Stop running.

But these are just words.

Words mean nothing without action, so allow me to show you:

May 1st, 2023:

Today, I filled in my daily planner for the first time in a long time.

I had initially created a daily planner, a habit tracker of sorts, to help me map my day.

And honestly, when I kept using it, it was the most consistent and productive I had been.

But eventually, I stopped.

And to make things worse, I declined the ‘auto-recover’ option and lost almost a month and a half of entries.

Which was devastating, to say the least.

January was my best month.

The first month, my best month and the only month I had completed in full.

And every last entry, was wiped.

And following that loss, I never found my stride again.

February.

March.

April was empty.

Not a single entry.

It’s incredible how poignant loss can be.

It made me forget how good my habit tracker was for me.

However, it takes just one day.

All you have to do is make a decision once.

And I’m going to prove it.

Today is May 1st.

I am not going to miss a single day of May.

Every single day is going to be filled with intentional productivity.

This is my starting point:

I’m going to demonstrate how easy it is to stop running, and face your situation.

The first step is to choose to be intentional with your day.

The second is to make that intentionality achievable each day.

The final step is to go one step further than the last day.

Right now, I’m at the point of no return.

Exam season.

I’ve been forced into a situation where I have to address the elephant in the room.

Had I been consistent, it wouldn’t be as hard as it will be now.

But, that isn’t enough to stop me.

For every me that sacrificed.

For everyone who reads.

And for the future me.

I’m going to face this boulder head-on.

And show that the best time to step forward is the present.

{Read: Stop Running Pt.2}

LM