What even is progress and why should you care?
Different types of progress and an invitation to reflect on your own progress
progress /ˈpräɡrəs/ (noun): forward or onward movement toward a destination.
If you’re a regular here, you probably (hopefully!) have let go of the idea that progress is linear. You understand that it involves ups and downs, learning, doubting, practicing, feeling lost, celebrating, and failing.
Just because things feel hard doesn’t mean there’s no progress. In fact, things feeling hard (and you working through it) is a sign of progress, don’t you think?
While you’re working hard not only to get closer to your goals but also doing it in a way that honors your capacity, nervous system, and values, it can feel exactly like that: like a lot of work.
So, today, let’s take a moment to step back to see the bigger picture and ask:
What progress have you made?
But first…
What even is progress and why should you care?
As a coach, I think about this often, because clients invest in coaching in order to make progress. And yet, it can be challenging to identify: How are you measuring progress? What if we diverge? How will you know you’re making progress, knowing that progress isn’t linear?
As a coach, it’s my role to facilitate client progress — on their terms. My role is also to support my clients to recognize the progress they are making.
Why reflect on and celebrate progress?
When you recognize and celebrate your progress, it can:
build confidence (I can do it!)
increase motivation (I’ve done it before and I want more of it!)
resource you (I know what I did to make progress.)
give you an anchor point (I see where I am on my journey.)
→ How do you reflect on the progress you’re making?
What is progress?
You might be surprised to find out that progress isn’t just a question of how close you are to your goal — which makes sense when we consider that progress isn’t linear.
So, what are the different types of progress?
Different types of progress
In a coaching relationship, we measure different types of progress:
THOUGHTS: Changes in the way you think, for example from “I can’t” to “I’m learning how to.”
FEELINGS: Changes in how you feel or how equipped you are to process and explore your emotions.
GOALS: Movement towards the goal (action) / clarity about what you want / creation of plans / identification of support / reframing the size of the goal.
IDENTITY: A greater sense of self / new awareness about things like values and beliefs.
RELATIONSHIPS: Progress in how you relate to other people, for example: deeper understanding of the relationship, better boundaries, courage to show up differently or more authentically.
In coaching, we can observe progress in the CLIENT-COACH RELATIONSHIP itself: deepening trust, opening up, being more courageous or relaxed.
→ In which of these areas is it easy for you to identify progress?
→ Where would you like to notice more progress?
Now that you know the benefits of reflecting on progress and you have a broader understanding of the different types, of progress, it’s your turn!
Let me know in the comments what progress you want to celebrate.
Here are some ideas what might count as progress. If any of these resonate, feel free to use them! I can’t wait to read your responses. I’m sure they’ll be inspiring to others, too.
Progress can look like…
a clearer understanding of yourself, your identity, your values
being kinder to yourself, no longer using the word “lazy” to describe yourself
a shift in how you think about topics
scheduling your Substack posts ahead of time
asking bigger picture questions
asking for help when you know you need it
articulating what you want and what you don’t want
dancing in the kitchen like no one is watching
having new vocabulary (like monotropism)
letting go of unhelpful beliefs
the book you published
the book you’ll be publishing
the first shitty draft you scrapped
the friendships you’ve created
the website you launched
the boundary you set
the nap you took despite your long to do list
the piece of art you made, just for fun
the deep breath you took before responding
the confidence with which you embraced your identity
the hard conversation you had
asking three more follow up questions
no longer apologized for talking “too much”
the community you’ve built
prioritizing your own health and wellbeing
accepting help
I’m so curious to find out where you notice progress. Remember, this is about more than celebrating your win of the week. This is about looking at the big picture and reflecting on what’s changed for you over the years (and recognizing that you made that happen).
Share your examples of progress in the comments!
It could be about your THOUGHTS, your IDENTITY, your FEELINGS, your RELATIONSHIPS, or your GOALS.
I’ll see you in the comments!
Bonus: Struggling to identify any progress? Here are some questions for you:
What would you need to believe in order to see progress?
What are you noticing?
What is the stuckness getting for you that is positive despite it limiting you?
Until next week!
Take care,
Hanna
P.S. In March, we’ll explore friendship! Reply to this email if you have thoughts / feelings about friendship.
Progress: getting better about scheduling ahead my regular biweekly substack posts so I can focus my creative energy on the ones that require more unique crafting/creative energy :)
I am making progress with how I think about my new life, how I am accepting reframes like this that mean I feel happier with my life within my new capacity levels.