I came across this YouTube video a while back, and it’s stuck with me ever since: https://lnkd.in/gpi2a92n
Although it’s about physical training, I believe, and in my own experience, it applies just as much to life and business.
That “unseen” stage can feel frustrating; like your effort is futile. Who knows how many people quit right there, not realising they were only one step away from the leap.
When I was working towards my first muscle-up for example, it took months of training with nothing to show for it. Same bar, same effort, no progress I could see. I almost quit many times, doubting myself: maybe I wasn’t built for it, or maybe I wasn’t doing it right. Then one day, without warning, boom! I had it. And I’ve had it ever since.
It’s the same in our careers and businesses. You put in the work, day after day. Nothing seems to move. No extra win. No obvious result.
But then suddenly, boom! You land the client. You step into the new role. Everyone sees the leap.
The truth? That leap was built on weeks or months of unseen progress.
The quiet work. The discipline no one claps for. The patience to keep going when it looks like nothing is happening.
Growth isn’t linear, it’s stepwise. Flat, flat, flat… then up.
And without the “flat” stage, the “up” never comes.
So if it feels like you’re stuck: keep going.
Unseen progress is still progress!