Progress Spiral

We all have those days—sometimes weeks or even months—when it feels like we’re spinning our wheels, going nowhere. You show up, put in the work, but somehow, you’re stuck in the same place, running in circles.

But is "running in circles" really the right metaphor?

Are we truly making no progress when we revisit the same challenges over and over again?

Let’s look at it differently:

On the left, we see what we think our progress looks like—a circle.

Round and round we go, grappling with the same old problems, revisiting familiar frustrations. It’s easy to feel like we’re stuck on a hamster wheel—moving, but never actually getting anywhere.

But on the right, there’s something else: a spiral.

The same circular motion is there, but with one crucial difference—each loop takes us a little higher.

That’s the reality of progress — a progress spiral.

It’s happening, just not always in the way we expect to see it.

Every time we complete that familiar loop, we’re not in the same place—we’ve moved a little further along, a little higher up. The shift may be subtle, but it’s there.

We often expect progress to follow a straight, linear path—a direct line from Point A to Point B. But life doesn’t work that way.

Real growth is more like a spiral—full of loops and revisits, but always with an upward trajectory. Each time we circle back to a challenge, we see it from a slightly different vantage point. We’ve learned something, or we’ve changed, even if we don’t notice it at first. We’re not the same person who faced this issue last time around.

Think about those times when you felt stuck— no matter what you did, you faced the same setbacks. Then, out of nowhere, something clicked. You had a breakthrough. That’s the “progress spiral” in action.

You weren’t just repeating old mistakes.

You were learning.

Slowly, yes. Frustratingly, sure. But progress was happening all along.

The problem is, that we’re often so focused on the grind, on the immediate moment, that we miss the bigger picture. Zoom out, and that circle reveals itself to be an upward-moving spiral.

As the philosopher Heraclitus said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man.” The same goes for the spiral of progress. Even when life feels repetitive, we are constantly evolving. Each loop brings new insights, new strengths, and a new version of ourselves.

So, the next time you feel stuck in the same place, remember: you’re not just running in circles—you’re spiraling upward.

Progress is happening, even if it’s not visible in the moment.

The loops are part of the journey, and each one is carrying you higher, toward growth, transformation, and real change.

That's progress—messy, nonlinear, not always visible but always unfolding.

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