A Message of Hope
Keep Moving Forward
I’ve been asked a few times lately, “What’s with the ‘keep moving forward’ thing?” That phrase is in most of my emails. My employees hear it from me dozens of times per year. My kids have a relentless Keep Moving Forward theme in their life.
On March 30, 2007, Meet the Robinson was released to theaters. My family and I went to watch Meet the Robinsons on April 12, 2007.
March 2007 was a deadly month in Iraq. In fact 2007 cost us more U.S. lives than any other period in the last 38 years. 1971 was the last year that we lost more than 900 soldiers in the same year. I was born in 1971.
The world of 1971
If you had read the newspaper in 1971 here’s what it would have told you:
- Thousands of US and Vietnamese troops are embroiled in a battle for Vietnam
- Richard Nixon installed secret taping systems in the White House
- The U.S. Capital was bombed
- 117 die in twisters that ripped through Mississippi and Louisiana
- The USSR performs nuclear testing of weapons
- Charles Manson sentenced to life in prison
- 13,000 antiwar protesters are arrested in 3 days
- 36 hospitalized during Grateful Dead concert; drunk LSD apple juice
- President Nixon announces 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents
- 1,000 inmates riot and take control of a prison in New York
- 6 KKK klansmen were arrested for bombing 10 school buses
- 90 Russian diplomats were expelled from Britain for spying
What’s the point?
In 1971 the world seemed to be in deep turmoil. The same was true in 2007 when the news from Iraq was constantly about the “never ending campaign”. The same is true in 2009: the world is still in deep turmoil. This time the turmoil is in our banks and financial institutions. Here’s the truth: very little of the news that was reported in 1971 or even 2007 was of any lasting value.
The fact is most of what you read in the newspaper is worthless information. The vast majority of what was written in the newspaper in 1971 and 2007 will never be heard again. Do you think it is going to be different in 2009?
So what does matter?
The news is paralyzing. It grips people with fear and uncertainty and it stops progress. What we need is creative, hard working people to use their imaginzation, inginuity, and intelligence to create solutions for problems that are solvable, add value and push us forward even during difficult times. Of course the economy is a major issue. We all know that. What matters is how we react to it. Are we going to be fearful and hide from it, or are we going to understand the times and push our economic future to a better place?
My advice for 2009: don’t watch the news. Don’t worry about the market or the economy. You won’t add a day to your life or a hair to your head by worrying about it. You know we are in trying times. Now get out there and do something about it.
Keep moving forward,
Greg
p.s. If you can’t see the clip on your computer go rent the movie. The man that coined the phrase was quite remarkable:
“Around here however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney
Thanks for the inspiring message to “Keep Moving Forward”. We wouldn’t have electricity or mickey mouse if B. Franklin and W. Disney hadn’t kept moving forward. I am so prone to quit, it’s much easier. But think what I/We could accomplish for the good of humanity if I/we all kept moving forward. Thanks for the reminder.
I also, need to remember that when I fail it’s not a bad thing. For every failure is just one step closer to success. And often to arrive some where of great value, the road is long, and it will take many steps.
Lots of good advice.
Keith
‘keep moving forward’ has to be one of the most useless and uncommunicative attempts to spur motivation I have ever heard. beyond a metaphorical pat on the ass to say gidee-up, the phrase has no intrinsic value or definition whatsoever.
suggesting that one should always ‘move forward’ infers that three experiences can take place in life at any given moment: you can progress, decline, or be stagnate. but, obviously, the idea that life happens on a linear framework is absurdly naive.
you dismiss the existence of a linear framework for life yourself with the artless and optimistic narrative that as long as you view every failure as ‘moving forward’ you can never decline or stay stagnant. if that is the case, ‘moving forward’ is merely linguistic and cerebral device more then actual progress. it infers declining and stagnation only exist is you quit or give up, or in other words, that they don’t actually exist unless you decide to create them.
and I actually agree with that. we have experiences, adapt accordingly, and come out the other side different. there is no ‘forward’ or ‘backwards’ because our idea of ‘where we are going’ is constantly changing with the life experiences that change us. life happens, we grow, change, and readjust.
a meaningless and contradictory statement like your idea of ‘keep moving forward’ is not some profound idea worthy of publication. it is just a trite motivational platitude that has no communicative value beyond telling someone to ‘see the glass as half full.’
motivational language is the worst form of communication because it can mean anything, and therefore, nothing.
we shouldn’t watch the news because it is “paralyzing, grips us with fear and uncertainty, and stops progress?” really? I thought moving forward was a state of mind? I didn’t know the news left you with no options but to become informed and therefore a slave to unbeneficial behavior and pavlovian responses.
but again, you can get away with making such a contradicting statement in a four paragraph piece because writing to elicit inspiration demands no argumentative integrity or critical thought from the reader.
sorry to be a dick, but people really pay you for this stuff?
I couldn’t agree more that allowing the news of today to control your actions and emotions is a bad habit that many people live by. On the other hand we need the news of today to know what direction the culture is heading in, which helps us know where we need to focus our efforts going forward. William Wilberforce continues to be a shining role model for how to engage with culture in a transformative way. With Vietnam and Watergate we learned valuable lessons about political corruption and sacrifice that we seem to have forgotten today. Regardless of where one falls on issues of war we must own a part of the millions of lives that were lost when we left Vietnam in perceived “defeat” even though we had never lost a battle of import. Millions of Hmong who supported freedom over communism were slaughtered upon our departure. After our first engagement in Iraq we left without thought for the supporters of freedom and hundreds of thousands were slaughtered. After helping the Taliban defeat Russia in Afghanistan we left their infrastructure in tatters and the vacuum was filled by extremists that we are still fighting today.
My only caveat to “keep moving forward” would be to do so while never forgetting to look back as you do. Most of the great mistakes that occur today are due to people who ignore the lessons of yesterday. We could talk about the historic success of “stimulus” plans for example. The first recession of the early 20th century was allowed to follow it’s painful course and was over in a relatively short time; the following recession was “aided” by the government and lasted for almost a decade and we are still paying for those mistakes almost 3/4 of a century later. Just look at how some of the great movers and shakers in today’s church are pointing back to the early church as the model for change moving forward.
Without spending thoughtful time on the past we are destined to repeat yesterdays mistakes. The often thrown around definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over that have led to failure and expecting a different result but that really doesn’t fly because every new endeavor starts with failures that only turn to success after persistent repetition based on improving on past failures. Ask Shaq why his free throw percentage is up this year!
Ryan Smyth… wow.
Ryan (Smyth that is)-
I appreciate your feedback. I agree with you in a lot of regards, particularly with “motivational language is the worst form of communication because it can mean anything, and therefore, nothing. “. Left to it’s own “keep moving forward” is just a phrase. A worthless one at that, if it is alone without additional meaning.
However, “keep moving forward” does have deep meaning for me. It also has meaning for my family, my employees, and others in whose lives I have some influence (albeit small). Here are a few examples of what I think of when I think of keep moving forward:
*Innovation – finding a different/better way of doing something
*Perseverance (an essential trait for any decent leader)
*Breaking through barriers that others will allow to limit their efforts
*Freedom to make mistakes and still move forward
*Not settling for where I am as a person: spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally
*Putting the past behind me and creating new ways of moving ahead
These are just a few of the thoughts that well up in me when I say “keep moving forward”. In the end I think the Apostle Paul said it much better than I can:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” (Philipians 3:12-13)
In terms of the idea that there can only be three experiences that can happen in life, I would actually say that their are only two directions: growth or decline. I think there is testimony of this in almost every natural process, relational process, mental process, etc. We are either growing or declining at all times. I’m hoping to be a lifelong “grower” but accept that at times I may take steps back. You may be interested in the sigmoid growth curve post that I wrote a while back.
Finally, unfortunately people do not pay me to write the Friday Morning Memo (I can dream of being paid to write though…that would be fun).
I’ll restate my favorite saying in your words:
Keep growing, changing, and readjusting (are we really that far off from each other?).
Greg
What a fun drama between Mr. Smyth and Mr. Rittler.
There is no doubt that there are generally only two possibilities in the universe in this regard. Forward and backward, growth and decline, expansion and contraction, courage and cowardice. I’m reading a book right now called Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. The author mentions at one point how the Universe must either expand or contract. It can not be stagnant or stable.
I think it is the same with us. Many people are known to shrink back when they are hit with difficulty. Sometimes that is a good thing, especially when it is done temporarily to get your bearings, rest, change course, learn from mistakes, etc. But to let failure or setback cause permanent damage (or lack of hope) without using it for the future is a real loss. Like the quote says, when you lose, don’t lose the lesson. When you fail, don’t fail to learn from it. And when you succeed, don’t get overconfident. “This too will pass” applies to almost everything. Some also let success stop them from improving. “The good is the enemy of the great” they say.
So “keep moving forward”, while only a three word phrase that is easy to type and just as easy to discard or argue against, is also a fundmental part of what it means to live in my opinion. What else would you tell someone who just had a major setback or a major victory? In either case would it ever be prudent to say “hey man just give up”? We all need inspiration and encouragement from time to time. It’s part of the human condition. Life is painful and difficult (at least in some regard) no matter who you are. Sometimes all we need is a word that gives us hope and a little more strength and that word can be helpful whether we are at the bottom of our game or the top. It’s never just easy…at least not for long, and not in this world.
For the golfers out there, John Daly is a good example of someone who will give up quickly in the face of difficulty. He’ll throw his clubs down and walk away. But have you seen the guy who has two heart transplants on Tour? Which one do you think is better at moving forward? Which one is happier?
I think you are doing a good job Greg and I think you have a nice arsenal of tools in your bag for doing what you do. Keep it up and good luck to you. Someday I may use your services.
Shawn
Here’s another post about “keep moving forward”:
http://nehemiahministries.com/keepingmotion.htm