How to Stay Inspired
Even When There Is No Progress

Today, I’m delving into the importance of the plateau in our lives, a concept I learned from George Leonard’s book “Mastery.” Leonard asserts that true fulfilment in life often resides not in the achievement of goals but in the journey itself — the “process of living.”

In our dopamine-driven culture, we often overlook the value of this plateau. We crave visible progress and external validation, mistakenly believing that if we aren’t leaping forward, we’re stagnating. But time spent on the plateau is a fundamental ingredient for long-term success.

Key Takeaways From Today

What is the Plateau?

Essentially any area of your life where you’re putting in effort, taking action, yet not seeing any external visible progress.

You may find yourself getting frustrated, doubting yourself, or constantly trying to change direction when you’re working on something yearning for some visible sight of progress or reassurance.

You may feel restless, itching for more, and it’s never enough.

Leonard writes that “again and again in life we are told to do one thing only so that we can get something else.” He argues that “the real juice of life, whether it be sweet or bitter, is to be found not nearly as much in the products of our efforts as in the process of living itself, in how it feels to be alive.”

We live in a world obsessed about achieving goals and then moving onto the next thing. Chasing external pursuits. Sometimes it can feel like a rat race.

I resonate with this because, like many determined individuals, my whole life has been about achieving the next milestone. I’m a goal oriented individual who likes to strive to achieve things. That’s not a bad thing. However, the problem arises when this need becomes obsessive.

If I’m not being productive toward a vision, then I feel like I’m wasting my time — but sometimes the most productive thing you can do is not to be productive.

Our Obsessive Need to Confirm External Progress

The problem is that many of us have a need to know whether we are making progress. If not, it is interpreted as a waste of time. We constantly search for some form of external validation of progress — sometimes comparing ourselves to people who are “behind” us, to make us feel better.

I have noticed the days where I have checked social media early in the day, the need for external validation during the day increases. I catch myself looking for feedback from my colleagues that our project is on track. I catch myself checking more frequently how well my LinkedIn post is doing. I catch myself checking how well I’m doing on my weekly to-do list.

I need to know my work is “paying off.” It’s a dopamine driven feedback loop.

This creates a bias to prioritise work that will feed our need for dopamine rather than work that’s actually important or joyful.

It’s important to take a step back and be aware of why we are doing something and be conscious about it. Are we doing it because it’s important? Are we doing it because we enjoy it? Are we doing it to satisfy a dopamine urge?

Where are you searching for external validation of progress and how is it stopping you from doing the work that’s important and aligned with you?

Not All Progress is External

Sometimes you may feel like you are going around in circles not making progress when in fact a lot of the progress is in who you are becoming, rather than what you are achieving externally. Yet, this isn’t so visible in the short term.

It’s easy to get disheartened by not seeing external progress. It’s easy to lose sight of all the inner growth and learnings you’ve had.

Without a foundation of becoming the person you need to become, the external progress would be fleeting and inconsistent.

There are many times I have felt like I should be “further” than I am in areas of my professional life. My clients sometimes feel the same way. Reflecting on who I have become and who I am becoming really gives perspective, reassurance, and joy. I am reminded that I would much rather have all the learning than get to my destination quicker, because the destination keeps on changing anyway.

Where are you ignoring your internal progress?

When in Alignment, External Progress is a Bonus

I would argue that when something is in alignment with you, you do things for the joy of doing them, regardless of external progress. Your heart knows this, but your mind freaks out.

For example, I could write and share my thoughts all day on personal growth to keep my readers and audience inspired. This is something I’m learning to enjoy for the sake of it rather than for the sake of growing an audience so I can build a bigger business.

My heart is connected with this. But my strategic mind can come in the way and start asking questions about potential business growth.

Of course, both would be nice, but my lasting joy primarily comes when I’m connected with the joy of writing to inspire. I would be doing this if I had all the money in the world. That’s when I know something is deeply aligned with me.

When we are aligned with our purpose, the plateau doesn’t really feel like a “plateau” because the action itself is the end, not a means to an end. But realising this requires a constant reminder and focus of attention.

What is holding you back from working on the projects that give you the most joy and keep you aligned?

Reflection Questions

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