“By All Means, Keep Moving”

In a speech, the late American Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said: “We must keep going. If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving.” Powerful words that offer a simple strategy to handle the seasons of life. You will go through different seasons that would demand one or more of these approaches: crawl, walk, run, or fly.

According to Dr. King, the idea is not crawling, walking, running, or flying, but movement – “by all means, keep moving.” Do whatever you have to, but don’t stop. Movement is a sign of hope. Furthermore, each step requires the right mindset to make it work. Let me explain.

Crawl: Only babies crawl, right? Not quite. Life can bring you to a season where all you can do is crawl, irrespective of your wealth, power, position, or resources. Here, it is vital to recognize the season that you’re in and know that crawling is your wisest move. If life becomes complex or knocks you down and wisdom demands that you crawl for some time, don’t fight it. Go through the process. It may be painful, but make sure you don’t stop crawling. Keep moving.

Walk: Generally, when you have attained a measure of growth within, life ushers you into a season where you have to walk. Crawl mentality and actions won’t work here. You’re growing in consciousness and can handle more. You can’t fly yet because you’re not ready. However, you get to enjoy other opportunities at this stage. Doors will open. Walk through them. You’re now on your feet because you’re growing.

Run: This is systems stage where you enjoy acceleration because you’ve learned to multiply your effort and essence. Speed occurs due to your level of clarity. At this point, you’ve gone through mind shifts that place you above your limiting beliefs. This stage is marked by discipline, organized systems, and your ability to maximize your time. You move differently because you’ve grown into someone who thinks powerfully.

Fly: To fly means that you move faster towards your goals and dreams. But life grants you access to this realm when you’ve built the capacity to handle the atmospheric pressure in the air. Typically, if you try to fly when you only have crawling capacity, you hurt yourself. It’s best to grow into this level. Wherever you are, Dr. King advises: fly, run, walk or crawl, but keep moving. Don’t stop.

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Photo by: Steve Johnson