This concept of this article could be begun in several ways, I know. In fact, I thought of a couple of them as I sat on my couch to write, as I usually do. While many of us may consider defining a term at the inception of an article a cliche, I choose to take that path because that's also one of the most brilliant ways to communicate an idea that needs a bit of description.

To “join the moving train” is a term used to express the concept of progression. It is pretty cool to know that one is “moving forward." However, the meaning of words is best expressed by their users. As a prominent author once stated, “No word has any meaning except in the context in which it's used.”

That implies that you simply need to see how a word is used to know the intended interpretation, not only what your Oxford Dictionary or any other recent dictionary says about it.

Many users currently use the term “join the moving train” to mean "go where things are working instead of staying stuck somewhere, trying to make things work.” The downside of that is that it gives many the licence to give up easily and bail out. For instance, if you're in an AX company and things are pretty bad over there, don't trouble yourself about fixing the problem; just jump over to a functioning one (AY). What an error!

A good follow-up question is: What then happens to the AX if everyone forgoes it for AY? Another one is: What happens if AY develops some issues along the way too? Would you apply the same principle?

We must learn to fix things when they are broken and not dispose of them or replace them every time.

We need to change our mindset from “join the moving train” to “move the joining train.”

Dissecting the two concepts

1- Join the moving train

This is a selfish notion, according to the context of this article. It's a “it’s all about me” thing. Nobody matters.

Following the assertion of this post, you don't mind if your former train suffers as long as you move ahead. A lot of things would go wrong if everyone had this mentality.

  • Marriages would be broken: yeah, because the partners would rather get divorced than fix their marital issues. That's why you hear people say, “I don't have to fix anything that isn't working—I just have to walk away.” If you check the rate of divorce in our society today, you will agree with me that this notion is destructive.

  • Companies will experience brain drain; just imagine losing your finest member of staff to the highest bidder because your business is going through a tough time. How would that make you feel?

  • Associations and relationships will be destroyed; we all want those who will stick with us through good and bad times. That shows true loyalty. And if they can't stay, then we don't consider them loyal friends.

Although this sounds harmless, it is inconsiderate and a bit irresponsible.

2- Move the train you're joining

This is looking beyond yourself. You just want to make an impact, even if the salary is poor or the work conditions are despicable. The number-one thing here is impact. It comes before comfort.

Here, the guy looks at the company and says, “I can't leave it the same way I meant it. I must make it better.”

Things are not working, but you stay to make them work. Here, you ask yourself, “What sacrifices could I make to make things better?”

Things that help you move “the train you're joining” faster

  1. Your attitude: someone once said, “Attitude is everything.” There's so much sense in that.

  2. Your team: stop trying to win alone. You need a team. John Maxwell once said, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness.”

  3. Your commitment: as long as you're committed to the cause, you won't see the need to just walk away. Walking away becomes difficult when there's true commitment, in most instances.

  4. Your belief system: as humans, our belief systems affect our lives. They decide what we do and say. They decide if we stay or leave as well.

  5. Your inspiration: with the right inspiration, you can stay through it all. Inspiration is what keeps you going when perspiration wants you to stop. Staying inspired is therefore important.