Noticing change

I was staring at my computer screen, frustrated.

The project wasn’t moving fast enough and neither was I. My inner critic was relentless: “You should be further along by now.”

Then something shifted. Instead of pushing harder, I asked myself: “What would give me energy right now?”

I stepped away and walked into my garden. Started tending to what was there – watering, noticing new growth, pulling weeds. Nothing dramatic. Just small, present actions.

When I returned twenty minutes later, everything had changed. Not the work itself, but my relationship to it. I could suddenly see possibilities that had been invisible when I was gripping so tightly.

Here’s what hit me: We’re all changing, every single day. The person writing this isn’t the same person who started this year. The person reading this has evolved through countless small moments, conversations, and choices. The people around us are growing too, one tiny shift at a time.

But we miss it. We’re so focused on the big destination that we can’t see the transformation happening right under our feet.

That insight you had during yesterday’s meeting that felt more natural than it would have six months ago? That’s growth. The way you handled that difficult conversation with a little more grace? That’s evolution. The question you asked that opened something new for your team? That’s progress.

It’s all adding up. Creating ripples that touch the people around you, who then create their own ripples. We’re all walking each other forward without even realizing it.

Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is step away from forcing and start tending. Give ourselves permission to explore rather than execute perfectly. Trust that small, consistent actions compound into something beautiful.

What tiny step could you take today that feels alive to you? What if that’s exactly enough?

The breakthrough might be waiting in the space between trying so hard and trusting what wants to emerge.