There’s a weird thing we do as humans.
We look at where we want to be… and somehow that becomes the only thing we can see.
The goal.
The gap.
The unfinished parts.
The things still missing.
And in the process, we keep forgetting how far we’ve come — just because we still have far to go.
I know this feeling way too well.
You start chasing something bigger. A better version of yourself. A new chapter. A new level. A new season. And at first it’s exciting. You feel motivated. You feel hungry. You feel like you’re finally moving.
But then… that excitement turns into pressure.
Because once you’ve started growing, you don’t want to stop.
Once you’ve improved, you feel like you should be improving faster.
Once you’ve made progress, you suddenly expect perfection.
And what used to be “Wow, I’m doing it” becomes “Why am I not there yet?”
It’s such a sneaky mindset.
You can go from “I’m proud of myself” to “I’m behind” in the span of one bad day.
One slow week.
One mistake.
One moment of comparison.
One glance at someone else’s highlight reel.
And suddenly your brain forgets the nights you stayed consistent.
The habits you built from scratch.
The strength it took just to keep going.
The fact that you’re not even the same person you were a year ago.
You don’t realize how far you’ve come because you’ve made “far to go” your main identity.
But here’s the truth:
Having far to go doesn’t erase how far you’ve come.
It just means you’re still in motion.
And being in motion is a beautiful thing.
Sometimes we treat growth like a finish line instead of a direction.
Like it only counts if we’ve arrived.
But real growth doesn’t always feel like winning.
Sometimes it feels like repetition.
Like showing up again.
Like doing the work quietly.
Like rebuilding confidence after a setback.
Like learning something the hard way.
Like taking two steps forward and one step back and still choosing to move.
Progress is rarely dramatic.
Most of the time it’s subtle.
It’s you reacting differently than you used to.
It’s you staying calm in moments that once shook you.
It’s you not giving up when you normally would’ve.
It’s you doing the hard thing without needing applause.
It’s you learning to say no.
It’s you finally saying yes.
It’s you being kinder to yourself.
It’s you trying again.
That’s growth.
But because it doesn’t always look flashy, we dismiss it.
We treat it like it doesn’t count.
And that’s what breaks people.
Not failure.
Not hard work.
Not the long road.
What breaks people is constantly moving forward while mentally living in the belief that they’re not doing enough.
That’s exhausting.
It makes you feel like you’re always chasing.
Always behind.
Always lacking.
Always “almost.”
And even when you’re doing well, you can’t enjoy it.
Even when you’re improving, you can’t feel it.
Because your mind is stuck in the distance, not the journey.
I’ve realized something important:
If you don’t pause to recognize your progress, you’ll start resenting the process.
You’ll start seeing your life as one long checklist.
One long “not yet.”
One long “maybe someday.”
And you’ll miss the fact that “someday” is being built right now.
The person you used to pray to become?
The version of you that once felt impossible?
The strength you once wished you had?
A lot of that is already here.
It’s just easy to overlook because you’ve gotten used to it.
You’ve normalized your own growth.
You’ve normalized your own resilience.
You’ve normalized your own discipline.
And that’s a compliment, honestly.
It means you’ve become someone you can rely on.
But don’t let that familiarity turn into blindness.
Because you deserve to feel proud.
Not in an arrogant way.
In a grounded way.
In a “I know what it took to get here” way.
In a “I’ve survived things I don’t even talk about anymore” way.
In a “I’ve worked on myself even when nobody noticed” way.
And you also deserve to keep wanting more.
There’s nothing wrong with ambition.
There’s nothing wrong with having far to go.
But don’t let your dreams become a reason to disrespect your current reality.
Don’t let the next chapter make you forget the last one.
Don’t let the mountain ahead make you ignore the miles behind.
Because you’re not starting from zero anymore.
You’re starting from experience.
From lessons.
From scars that became strength.
From effort that became momentum.
From mistakes that became wisdom.
From patience that became maturity.
So if you’re feeling behind right now…
If you’re feeling like you should be further…
If you’re looking at the road ahead and thinking “Man, I’ve got so much to do”…
Take a breath.
And look back — not with regret, but with respect.
Look back and recognize that the old you would be proud of how far you’ve come.
Look back and remember the days when you didn’t even know if you’d make it through.
Look back and realize you did.
And you’re still doing it.
You’re still showing up.
You’re still building.
You’re still becoming.
And that matters.
So yes… you might still have far to go.
But don’t keep forgetting how far you’ve come.
That’s not just progress.
That’s proof.
Kenrick Vaz 