Door Activated, Keep Moving

I'm walking through the automated sliding doors and for the first time read one of those ever-present signs that we are all supposed to read - but never do.

"Door Activated, Keep Moving."

The purpose behind these four words must be this:   as customers approach the sliding glass door they experience a certain amount of uncertainty and anxiety as to whether the sliding glass panel will actually open.     Out of  doubt, they (unnecessarily) stop.     This stopping not only impedes their own progress, but the progress of those following.   If they would just keep moving - everything would be fine.

So I think about how we operate in our own lives.   We believe something is supposed to happen.  We have every right to believe it's going to happen.  Yet, we pause unnecessarily because we don't really have faith that it is going to happen.  And we stop moving forward.

I know I have done this hundreds of times.  I've impeded my own progress, and the progress of others, because of irrational doubts.

Looking at the example of the sliding door,   I recognized these facts.   The store was open for business.   I could see that there was a door that was available for me to use.   I have seen these doors open hundreds, if not thousands, of times.   I kept moving because I had more confidence in these facts than I did in my self-doubt that the door wouldn't open.

So I'm not suggesting a "blind trust."    Certainly we need to know what are the facts of the world around us and what the history has been.   But if we have that information -  shouldn't we just "keep moving."      Why impede progress, both for ourselves and others, when all we have to justify "stopping" is our own internal suspicions or self doubts?     These things are not good enough to keep us from moving forward.

There are doors that present themselves to us every day.   These doors, or opportunities, are supported by what we know to be true.    Let's not unnecessarily deprive ourselves of these opportunities due to unfounded superstitions.   Let's just "Keep Moving."

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders"  is available on Amazon Kindle.