Progress: The Quiet Engine of Growth

Welcome to Our Latest Newsletter! 

📚 Read Time: 10 Minutes 

Last week we explored identity, the story that shapes how we see ourselves and how we show up in the world. This week we turn to progress, the steady forward motion that transforms who we are into who we are becoming. If identity is our compass, progress is our stride. It rarely looks dramatic. Often it feels ordinary. Yet it is the most reliable bridge between intention and outcome. 

Progress is not about perfection or constant improvement. It is about stacking honest days, moving forward on average, and trusting that growth often hides in plateaus and quiet repetitions. Small wins, consistent practice, and patience are the fuel that carry us through. 

If you also missed last week’s issue on Identity, you can find it, along with all of our past newsletters, in our library: https://courses.tiger-resilience.com/Newsletter-Tiger-Resilience?cid=5874ac1f-3e21-4744-88a8-fec05e1cb553. Feel free to share the library with friends or colleagues who might benefit from these reflections. Our community grows stronger every time someone new joins the conversation. 

What we’ll cover: 

• What progress really means, and how it differs from short-term improvement  
• The brain and body science of progress, dopamine, and plateaus  
• Surprising statistics on progress, goal-setting, and motivation  
• The Tiger Resilience Lens: Progress vs. Improvement across body, mind, heart, and spirit  
• Michael’s Training Corner: linear vs. non-linear progression and the hidden role of plateaus  
• A real-world spotlight on George Leonard’s philosophy of mastery and loving the plateau  
• A journal exercise to help you track momentum and reframe setbacks 

🧭 What Is Progress? 

Progress is forward motion. It is not a one-time achievement but a process, the steady accumulation of small steps that, over time, create transformation. 

The common mistake is to imagine progress as a straight upward climb, with every day better than the last. In reality, progress is rarely linear. It looks more like a winding road, full of bursts, plateaus, and even setbacks. You might train for weeks without a new personal best, then suddenly break through. You might study for months without feeling smarter, until one day the concepts click. 

What feels like “stuckness” is often progress happening beneath the surface. Muscles are rebuilding, the nervous system is adapting, the brain is wiring new patterns. Outward results may pause, but inner change is underway. 

At its heart, progress is about direction and consistency. It asks: 

• Am I moving closer to the person I want to become?  
• Am I showing up even when the payoff is not immediate?  
• Am I willing to let growth unfold at its own pace?  

Progress is not perfection. It is not constant improvement. It is the discipline of staying in motion, step by step, rep by rep, choice by choice, trusting that the path itself is shaping you along the way. 

Michael’s Perspective: Staying in the Plateau 

I love the concept of staying in the plateau. When people think about progress, they often imagine the breakthrough moments, the big leaps, the personal records that mark a clear before and after. What they fear, and often misread, are the long periods of stagnation that come before those moments. But I encourage you to see the plateau differently. This is not wasted time. This is a period where you have already made progress, even if the results have not yet shown up. 

For me, one of the hardest parts of sitting in a plateau has always been the impulse to change everything. You hit a stretch where workouts look the same, the numbers do not move, and you start telling yourself, “This is not working.” The temptation is to overhaul your training, switch the plan, or abandon the approach entirely. I have been there many times, staring at training logs and doubting my choices. But what I have learned is that progress requires time. It requires trust. The plateau is not the enemy of growth. It is the environment that makes growth possible. 

Big goals can inspire us, but they can also intimidate us. If the only way you measure progress is against the end goal, you are setting yourself up to feel constantly behind. Think about running a marathon. At mile six, if all you think about is the twenty miles left, the task feels impossible. The only way through is to break it down, to make the race winnable mile by mile. Progress works the same way. If you cannot recognize the small wins, you will only see the distance left to travel. Your brain will latch onto every sign that you might not make it. That is why acknowledging progress, no matter how small, matters more than chasing perfection. 

Some of the hardest things to start often become the most rewarding. Whether it is running, lifting weights, writing, or working through challenges in your personal life, the struggle is not a sign you are failing. The struggle is a sign you are learning. Skills come from struggle. If it feels too easy, you are probably not growing. 

I think back to this past year with my own running. Last year I ran a mile in 4:51. This year I ran 4:22, a 29-second improvement. On paper that is progress, but the truth is that the part I value most is not the time drop itself, but the process in between. There were weeks when I questioned everything. I would look at my training and think, “This workout looks no better than it did three months ago. No progress has been made.” But that was not true. Progress was happening in ways I could not yet measure. My aerobic system was adapting. My recovery was improving. My nervous system was learning efficiency. These things do not show up day to day, but they are what set the stage for the eventual breakthrough. 

Progress is not linear. If you drew it on a chart, it would not be a clean upward line. It would look like a scattered data plot, a messy collection of dots that sometimes trend upward, sometimes stall, and sometimes even dip. But when you step back far enough, the direction is there. That is the point. 

So when you find yourself in a plateau, do not panic. Do not throw everything away in search of something that feels like improvement. Stay in the plateau. Keep stacking small wins. Trust the timeline. Progress does not always feel good in the moment, but it is always shaping you if you are consistent. The plateau is not the end of your progress. It is the foundation of your next breakthrough. 

Progress is ALWAYS built in the plateaus. The struggle, the patience, the small wins that add up when nothing feels like it’s moving, that’s where the real growth happens.

Bernie's Perspective: The Quiet Power of Progress, Lessons from ‘Mr. Tiger'

Progress isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s so quiet, you almost miss it happening. I was reminded of this years ago, during a major transition in my own life. I’d left the corporate world behind and stepped into a part-time teaching job at Riverview School on Cape Cod, working with a group of young adults in the GROW program. I was nervous, uncertain, and honestly, a bit raw from the changes in my life. 

On my very first day, as I was introducing myself, a student named Jeanette came right up to me, her eyes shining with excitement, and greeted me with, “Hi, Mr. Tiger! Hi, Mr. Tiger!” She kept repeating it, and while it made me smile, it also caught me off guard. I’d never been addressed that way before. For a moment, I wondered if I was really worthy of that respect or ready for that new role. 

But looking back, I see now that this moment was a quiet marker of progress. I didn’t suddenly become someone else. I didn’t have all the answers. But I showed up, I listened, and I let myself grow into something new—one small step at a time. That’s the kind of progress that matters most: the kind you barely notice while it’s happening. 

Progress, for me, has rarely been about big leaps or dramatic changes. It’s been about showing up on the tough days, trying again after setbacks, and trusting that each small effort adds up. Whether it was rebuilding my life after losing my father, navigating homelessness at seventeen, or learning to lead and serve others in behavioral health, the real engine of growth has always been those quiet, persistent steps forward. 

If you’re feeling like you’re not moving fast enough, or your progress doesn’t “count” because it’s not flashy, I want you to know—you’re not alone. Most real growth happens in the background. It’s found in the moments you choose not to give up, the way you handle challenges a little better than you did before, or the simple act of starting again after a tough day. 

I encourage you to honor those moments. Write them down. Share them with someone you trust. Celebrate the quiet engine that’s been moving you forward, even when you can’t hear it running. 

Progress is happening, even now. Trust it. 

🧠🩺 The Science of Progress: Your Brain and Body on Forward Motion 

Progress is not only a psychological idea. It is wired into our biology. Small steps forward create real changes in both the brain and the body, which explains why even minor wins feel so rewarding and why plateaus can feel so discouraging. 

🧠 In the Brain 

• Dopamine rewards progress. Research shows that dopamine, the brain’s motivation chemical, rises not only when we achieve a goal but also when we make progress toward it. Each time we cross off a task or complete a small step, our brain rewards us with a burst of motivation to keep going.   
• Overwhelm blocks momentum. When goals feel too big or distant, the brain’s stress centers activate, often leading to paralysis or procrastination. Breaking a challenge into smaller steps reduces that threat response and allows progress to build.   
• Homeostasis resists change. Our nervous system prefers the familiar. Even positive change can trigger internal pushback, which is why new habits often feel uncomfortable at first. Pushing through this resistance is what resets the brain to a new baseline.   
• The goal-gradient effect. Studies show that people naturally work harder as they perceive themselves getting closer to a goal. Visual feedback like a progress bar or checklist taps into this effect, boosting persistence and effort.   

🩺 In the Body 

• Stress and stagnation. Feeling stuck can trigger cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. Surveys show that people who feel stalled in work or life report higher levels of anxiety and lower well-being. Even small signs of forward movement can calm this stress response.   
• Plateaus as adaptation. In training, rapid gains often slow after the first months. This is not failure but biology at work. Plateaus are the body consolidating gains, repairing tissues, and adjusting to new demands. What looks like “no progress” is often hidden growth preparing you for the next leap.   
• Progress fuels endurance. Athletes tolerate more fatigue when they see evidence of improvement, such as faster splits or longer distances. The body responds to the mind’s belief that “we are getting there,” unlocking reserves of energy and grit.   

Takeaway: Progress is both neurological and physiological. Small wins light up reward circuits, reduce stress, and increase endurance. Plateaus are not the absence of growth but the body and brain consolidating change. By recognizing this, we can align with how our biology is built, tracking small steps, reframing stuck points, and trusting that forward motion is happening even when it is not obvious. 

📊 Stats Worth Knowing 

Progress is not just a concept. It shows up in the data on motivation, achievement, and well-being. 

• Most people feel stuck. A global study found that 77% of people feel stuck in their personal lives and 78% feel stuck professionally. Over 70% said that stalled progress in their career added significant stress to their personal life.   
• Resolutions rarely stick. About 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within the first month. By the end of the year, only about 1 in 10 people maintain the changes they set out to make. Lack of short-term progress is one of the main reasons people give up.   
• Tracking progress boosts success. A meta-analysis of 138 experiments showed that people who monitored their progress were around 40% more likely to reach their goals than those who did not. The effect was even stronger when progress was shared with others or written down regularly.   
• Small daily goals matter. In a study of 1.5 million workplace goals, employees who set and met small daily targets were 34% more likely to achieve their larger performance outcomes than those who did not. Meeting half of their daily goals also correlated with higher morale.   
• Celebrating progress improves mood. Employees who publicly shared small daily wins were 59% more likely to report a positive mood at work. Even quietly acknowledging completed goals increased positive mood by nearly 30%.   
• Plateaus are normal. In strength training, beginners often see rapid gains of 25–30% in the first few months. By six months, progress slows to only single-digit improvements. For elite athletes, even a 2% gain over a year is considered meaningful.   

Takeaway: Progress is fragile when left unmeasured, but powerful when tracked and acknowledged. Most people abandon goals not because they are impossible, but because they fail to see or celebrate the steps they are already making. The numbers show that consistency, feedback, and recognition turn progress from an idea into a reality. 

🐅 Tiger Resilience Lens: Progress vs. Improvement 

Improvement and progress are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Improvement is about measurable, short-term gains. Progress is about sustained movement in a direction that aligns with your values. Both matter. Improvement gives us feedback and motivation in the moment. Progress ensures those improvements connect into something lasting. 

It is also important to remember that progress does not always look like a positive outcome. Sometimes forward motion means confronting uncomfortable truths, exposing flaws, or enduring a plateau that feels like failure. These moments are still progress because they move us through the necessary stages of growth. 

Here is how this distinction shows up across the four domains of the human condition: 

Bottom line: Improvement is the spark. Progress is the fire that keeps burning. Both play a role, but resilience comes from accepting that forward motion will not always feel like success in the moment. True progress weaves immediate gains, setbacks, and plateaus into the larger story of long-term growth. 

🏋️ Michael’s Training Corner: Progress in Training 

Progress in training is not a straight climb. It follows cycles of growth, consolidation, and renewal. Two key areas explain this best: how we structure progression, and how we handle plateaus. 

Part 1: Linear vs. Non-Linear Progression 

Linear progression is the simplest model: add weight, add reps, or increase distance each session. Beginners thrive here because the nervous system adapts quickly. Those first few months of training often feel like magic, almost every workout produces a new personal best. 

But the body eventually adapts. Pushing linearly forever leads to stalls or burnout. That is where non-linear, or periodized, progression takes over. Instead of always going heavier or faster, intensity and volume are cycled across days or weeks. For example: 

• Heavy 5-rep day followed by a lighter 12-rep day  
• Blocks of endurance work followed by blocks of strength or power  
• Alternating high-intensity training with active recovery sessions  

This undulating approach gives the body room to recover while still applying new stimuli. It keeps adaptations coming long after the beginner phase is over. 

Linear progression builds early confidence. Non-linear progression sustains growth for the long haul. Both are essential, the skill is knowing when to shift from one to the other. 

Part 2: The Role of Plateaus 

Every athlete eventually hits a plateau: the weights stop moving up, the race times stop coming down. It feels discouraging, but plateaus are not failure. They are part of adaptation. 

During a plateau, change is happening under the surface: 

• Connective tissues are strengthening  
• Motor patterns are becoming more efficient  
• Recovery systems are recalibrating for higher demands  

Sometimes a plateau is a signal to adjust the program, change sets, reps, tempo, or exercise variation. Other times it means you need a deload week or more recovery. In both cases, the plateau is protective, keeping you from pushing past what your body can handle safely. 

Reframing is key. Progress does not always mean immediate improvement. It can look like holding steady, learning patience, or even stepping back so the body can rebound stronger. Plateaus are not wasted time; they are the groundwork for your next breakthrough. 

🌍 Real-World Spotlight: George Leonard on Mastery 

Few people have explained progress more clearly than George Leonard, the Aikido teacher and author of Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment. Leonard observed that real growth does not follow a straight, upward line. Instead, it looks like short bursts of visible improvement followed by long stretches of plateau. 

Most people see plateaus as wasted time or evidence of failure. Leonard called them the heart of mastery. The plateau is where fundamentals are refined, the nervous system adapts, and patience is tested. Progress here is invisible but essential. Without learning to embrace plateaus, people burn out or quit before true growth takes root. 

Leonard described the three types of learners who struggle: 

• The Dabbler: loves the early improvements but quits when progress slows.   
• The Obsessive: pushes relentlessly, chasing constant improvement until they burn out.   
• The Hacker: stays comfortable, never pushing past the plateau to deeper growth.   

The master takes a different path. They accept that plateaus are part of the journey, even welcome them, and continue to practice without demanding immediate payoff. This mindset turns practice itself into fulfillment, not just a means to an end. 

📖 Want to explore Leonard’s philosophy in full? His book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment is a timeless guide to progress and practice. You can find it here: Amazon link 

📝 Journal Exercise: Tracking Progress and Reframing Plateaus 

This week’s practice is about recognizing progress, even when it does not look like improvement on the surface. Take 10–15 minutes and work through these prompts. 

Part 1: Progress Audit 

• Choose one area of your life where you want to grow (fitness, career, relationships, or emotional well-being).  
• Write down three small wins from the past month in that area. These could be subtle: showing up to train when you felt tired, speaking up once in a meeting, or pausing before reacting in a stressful moment.   
• List one place you feel stuck or plateaued. Be honest about how it feels.   

Part 2: Reframe the Plateau 

• Ask yourself: What could be happening beneath the surface right now?   
• Write a sentence that begins with “I am progressing, because…” and finish it with a perspective that reframes your plateau. Example: “I am progressing, because even though the scale has not moved, I am building consistent training habits that will carry me forward.”   

Part 3: The Next Step 

• Write down one tiny goal you can accomplish this week that aligns with your bigger direction. Keep it small enough that you can do it in one sitting or one day.   

Daily practice matters more than dramatic breakthroughs. Keep a log of small wins and reframe stuck points as part of the process. Over time, you’ll see a trail of progress that motivates you to continue. 

📘 Want more structured prompts to build confidence and track growth? Our Awaken the Tiger and Phoenix Self-Esteem Journal is designed with daily exercises that help you recognize progress, strengthen self-worth, and stay consistent. You can explore it here: Amazon link 

🔥 Final Thoughts: Progress Through the Five Pillars 

Progress is rarely glamorous. It is the daily act of moving forward even when results are invisible, the willingness to stay steady through plateaus, and the courage to trust that growth is unfolding over time. When we frame progress through the Five Pillars of Tiger Resilience, it becomes a practical path: 

• Purpose: Progress is clearest when aligned with purpose. A clear “why” keeps you moving forward when motivation fades.   
• Planning: Progress thrives on structure. Breaking goals into smaller steps, and anticipating plateaus, allows you to stay the course.   
• Practice: Daily repetitions, the small, ordinary choices, stack into transformation. Practice is how progress compounds.   
• Perseverance: Progress requires grit. It asks you to hold steady when growth feels slow and to continue even when improvement is not obvious. 
• Providence: Progress also relies on openness. Life will bring unexpected challenges and opportunities. The resilient person sees these not as interruptions, but as part of the journey forward.   

Progress is not about perfection. It is about direction. Each small step, each patient repetition, and each plateau embraced as part of the cycle moves you closer to the life you are building. 

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