Why Moving Forward Isn’t Always Progress: The Brutal Truth About Success
“Forward ever, backward never” is BS.
Who said forward is the only way to progress?
Probably some success guru trying to hype us straight into hell.
We’re so hooked on this idea that we celebrate anything that moves forward, even if it’s a countdown to our graves.
Life is a rush now. Social media won’t let us rest. Everyone’s flaunting their glamorous life for likes and comments.
If you’re not constantly adding up and adding more, then you’re behind. If you don’t buy a new jet every year, you’re not hot anymore.
We spend money we don’t have on things we don’t want to impress people we don’t even like.
We’ve resorted to a life of blind desperation: even if I’m sick and sad, I must stay ahead.
And when we can’t keep up, we choose suicide. After all, as the Yoruba say, “death is easier than shame.”
If we want any chance at real progress, we need to take a lesson from Gary Vaynerchuk, who said, “Life is a chess game, and the world is playing checkers.”
Checkers is all about moving forward. No strategy, just action.
But life, like chess, is complex. “The hardest move to find is a knight retreat” (GM Vasyl Ivanchuk).
Setbacks are brutal. Failure stings and mocks your intelligence.
I’ve had my share. I’ve battled depression, endured heartbreaks, lost millions, and crashed my first startup.
I used to believe “fast is faster, and forward is short.”
But now I know better.
Clarity comes before strategy, and direction matters more than speed.
If you want to win at life – assuming winning is even a thing – you need a different approach.
Quit the rat race. The endless struggle to stay ahead is pointless.
Your journey is yours and yours alone.
Don’t measure your progress by others. Get your own direction.
Don’t follow others’ strategies. Gain your own clarity.
When life demands you retreat, do it. As Prof. Scott Galloway said, the best thing is a successful business; the second best is a business that fails fast.
Don’t cling to what doesn’t work. I quit my expensive Lagos apartment without even finishing the lease.
I stopped changing cars like clothes in 2021.
I don’t pay for awards and recognitions anymore. If I’ve earned it, I don’t need to pay for it.
To climb the next mountain, you often have to descend from the one you’re on.
Life has hills and valleys. Being in a valley doesn’t mean you’re behind.
Stand up straight with your shoulders back. Face your challenges. Courage is calling.
Dare to quit your job so you can build your business. End toxic relationships and seek out new ones.
Build your products, create the margin, push the volume, and legally dodge your taxes.
Do your best every day, seek new knowledge, execute, measure, and evaluate.
Trust your process. You’re one call away from your next big win.
And if it doesn’t happen, you’re still not behind. You’re learning, perfecting your game.
Your turn for the limelight will come.
Till then, I’ll keep writing to remind you of the greatness that awaits you.
