Why Am I Not Making More Progress??!!?? The Three Thieves of Progress

Have you ever asked yourself this question? The three thieves of progress can rob you blind of your hard-earned gains. Unmask them and reclaim what’s yours.

Be not afraid of moving slowly, be only afraid of standing still.

Chinese Proverb

When it comes to learning a new skill, a new discipline, taking on a new initiative or letting go of a bad habit, progress can be elusive. In The Ripple Effect I outlined principles of progress (p. 50-51 TRE). Progress:

1. doesn’t always look or feel like progress.
2. is not always steady.
3. is often made simply by consistently showing up.

Given this, the ego is very sneaky. And oftentimes it can rob us of actual positive shifts we are making. I want to share with you the three thieves of progress, they all all start with “D”.

The Three Thieves of Progress

1. Dismiss. When we dismiss our progress we consciously or unconsciously write it off as a fluke, as luck, or as something that would have happened anyway. And we completely minimize the impact of the choices we’ve made which led to that progress. Have you ever dismissed results by saying… “That (sale, breakthrough, result..) would have happened anyway without doing the work that I’m doing.”
2. Discount. This one is similar but a little bit sneakier. When we discount our progress we shrug it off as “no big deal.” A couple of years ago I had a conversation with a close friend of mine. He made some commitments to some disciplines in an area of his life that was a very big challenge for him – it disrupted social situations for him and had a negative effect on business. These personal commitments had a major positive impact on his business and his life. When I asked him what was different because of these commitments his response was … “no big deal.” This is another way of not giving credit to to positive choices that have been made and it undermines the work you have done.
3. Deny. Here there is clear evidence that life is different, better, and moving forward. And you say “no it’s not.” I worked with young lady recently who wanted to lose weight, and she did. When I remarked to her that she looked like she had lost a few pounds her response was, “I don’t see any difference.” Look at the scale!

Reflect

1. What we focus on expands. What is your tendency? Do you tend to dismiss, discount, or deny? Is it some combination of all three?
2. Take a stand that your choices matter. That you are making progress because of them. From here:
3. Ask a better question. Instead of asking, “Why am I not…?” Ask yourself: “Where can I find evidence of forward movement?” “What’s different because of my choices?”

Choose. Stay the course. Pay attention. Progress.