The night before my team’s big presentation, the slide deck broke. Not “a few tweaks” kind of broken—everything gone kind of broken. Hours of work vanished, leaving us staring at each other in a shared mix of panic and exhaustion. For a moment, it felt like we had two choices: wallow in frustration or start over together.
We chose the latter. And while that night was filled with stress and an alarming amount of caffeine, it became a lesson I’ve carried since: you don’t go backwards. You go forward, together.
Why Going Back Isn’t an Option
It’s tempting to cling to what we know—an old routine, a comfortable role, or even the idea of how things “should” have gone. Staying where we are, or worse, retreating, can feel safer than facing the unknown. But progress doesn’t live in reverse.
I’ve found this to be true in every aspect of life: projects, relationships, personal growth. Even when things feel broken, moving forward is the only way through. It’s not about perfection; it’s about the decision to keep trying.
The Case for Togetherness
Forward motion isn’t a solo endeavor. Think of any group effort—a sports team, a community project, or even just a group of friends working through a challenge. Momentum comes from leaning on one another, dividing the load, and taking turns carrying the weight.
When we rebuilt our presentation, no one said, “This is your problem.” Instead, we pieced it together as a team. One person retyped the outline, another hunted for backup files, and someone else scoured their inbox for a half-forgotten draft. It wasn’t just the work that mattered—it was the unspoken agreement that we wouldn’t leave anyone behind.
The Fear of Forward
Let’s be honest: moving forward is scary. There’s no guarantee of success, no road map showing that the effort will pay off. But staying stuck isn’t safe either—it’s just stagnant.
Think about all the great “leap moments” in life. Starting a new job, committing to a relationship, launching a side hustle. Each one is a step into the unknown. And while it’s easy to second-guess ourselves, progress is rarely linear. What matters is that we choose to move.
Forward Is a Promise
That night with my team, we didn’t just fix the presentation. We proved something to ourselves: that we could handle setbacks. That moving forward wasn’t just a choice; it was a promise—to ourselves, to each other, and to the work we cared about.
Life often throws us into moments where “backwards” feels like an option. But when we hold onto the idea of going forward together, we unlock something greater than individual success. We unlock connection, resilience, and the belief that, no matter what, we’ll figure it out.
So when you hit your next wall—and you will—ask yourself: Who’s beside you? What’s ahead? And how can you move forward, together? Because that’s where progress lives.
