Quiet Progress

The fog intensifies. A few days ago, the sun was bright, and the path had never looked more clear. Now, it is an absolute struggle to even distinguish my feet. Hopefully, the fog will scatter – but how much time will it take, and do I really want to wait aimlessly here? No. There must be a way to clear the path now and head in the right direction.

Imagine what would happen if your thoughts became foggy every time an obstacle appeared in your path. You would remain in a persistent haze, aimlessly gesturing, searching for a landmark.

To clear the fog, or at least make progress through it, you must establish relevant goals and adhere to them, while also being very mindful of your emotions.

The fog symbolizes abstract negative thoughts that continuously replay in your mind. These thoughts often stem from a recent event but can persist for an extended period, causing emotional pain. The best way to overcome this is to set simple goals – ones you can make progress toward despite the foggy mental state, which likely inhibits your motivation.

While performing these simple goals, pay close attention to how you feel. If you sense that you are losing track of your progress in the fog, stop. Take a deep breath, and when you feel ready, continue.

I believe there is no secret to it. We have no control over the weather. Sometimes, we must learn to progress cautiously through the fog until the path becomes clear again.

I sometimes have this feeling that the fog is definitely gone, and will never come back. I walk fast, accelerate, run. The sun warms my left cheek and brightens my eyes.

I smile again, even become enthusiastic.

Small victories put you in that state. For a short period of time, you feel invincible – as if you’d fought all your demons and they would never come back. But past history tells another story. It teaches you how dangerous it is to claim victory, loudly, when you’ve only just seen through the fog – because it does come back when you least expect it, and it can shut you down.

Expect fog; head toward the sun.

Do better, even when you think you’ve won.