What does it mean to be in forward motion? Does it mean faster results? In 0.64 seconds, Google will answer the query of weight loss with 1.2 billion results to explore. In 0.50 seconds, Google will deliver about 183 million results to the query detox. Is that forward motion? And if we get more specific to search for a sevenday detox, we can find 160 million ideas to explore in .036 seconds.
It is indeed a blessing to have health, fitness and wellness information at our fingertips and from all perspectives. The experts and gatekeepers are no longer a deterrent. Information, when used consciously and strategically—and when properly applied in context and dosage—can do wonders to inform, instruct and inspire us into action. Just think of Whole30, P90X or Kayla Itsines and the millions of people they have inspired to get moving and sweat their way to a better life through fitness and good nutrition. That is forward motion.
Not having access to sound advice doesn’t help, and lack of knowledge can hinder our ability to move forward to our goals. My current, grown-up self might advise my teenage self that if she had Google back then, she would discover that a 32-ounce mini-mart mug of Diet Coke and a handful of Bit-O-Honey candies for breakfast, seven days a week, was creating a negative physiological impact on her body and making her athletic endeavors all the more challenging. With knowledge, perhaps she would have chosen differently.
Yet somehow, I don’t believe that it would have made a difference. We all know too well that knowledge alone hardly ever compels lasting behavior change. It is hard to stop a destructive addiction or a habit of playing small! What does inspire change is a relatable, compelling story. Stories of others who have walked the same path and found their way can shine a light for us—others who can look back and say that the journey was worth every step. This is forward motion worth a Google.
