Belief in progress is belief in two things
In life we meet (and we are) people who are moving forward; people who are stuck in the mud; and people in-between—conscious of the mud and unsure how to get out.
There are two things you need to believe, to get out of the mud:
A Thing matters.
I can help make this Thing better.
Most people innately have a Thing that matters. Just spend enough years alive, and you have too many Things, and the problem becomes choosing.
The second part is where it gets hard. Because you have to:
Pick a Thing. (Out of all the Things.)
“better”—imagine a better future state. Articulate this clearly.
What exactly will look different? What exactly will feel different? What things will happen that aren’t happening today?
“I can”—take it upon yourself to make things better. And forge a path forward.
Ironically, we’re often most motivated to improve some aspect of ourselves; hence the evergreen nature of self-help. At the same time, it can be most difficult to imagine the better version of yourself, and to take full responsibility for making progress.
The difference between rote learning and learning that moves you forward is whether the driver is these two beliefs, which can be called an internal demand.
It’s possible to have an entire successful career driven by rote learning and external demands.
But meeting an internal demand is what drives our true belief in progress. At certain points in life, it’ll be easier to make progress outside yourself first, then progress on yourself. At other times, it’ll be the opposite. In which phase are you?
