Compounded Progress

It’s easy to mistake change for progress. Trump getting elected points to this. Using a new productivity tool when your current workflow is mostly effective also backs the idea. Moving to another city because you’re unhappy is another example (I’ve done this).

At some point you have to look inside yourself and find where progress is getting bottle-necked. Your eyes will have to turn inwards instead of “out there” to find what’s stifling you. That’s scary.

To stare at your internal roadblocks, fears, and insecurities is to admit that you don’t have it all together. But it’s crucial. Roadblocks can’t be dismantled until you know where they are and how they’re constructed.

But there’s an interesting wrinkle that arises when you employ change for a progress role. On a long enough timeline, the misguided change can become fertile soil for compounded progress that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.

What if Trump creates so much turmoil in America that true and radical progress is our collective reaction when his 4 years are up? What if he’s the villain we need in order to finally reach unity?

This specific example may be a stretch. But it’s something worth hoping for.