Progress Doesn’t Always Look Like Movement—Sometimes It Looks Like Mindset

By: Kimberly DeShields-Spencer

When we think about progress, we often picture motion: climbing the corporate ladder, hitting new sales goals, running faster, growing our social media followers, launching a new product, or checking off another to-do list. Movement is visible. Tangible. It feels productive. But here’s the truth we don’t talk about enough: sometimes, progress isn’t about movement at all—sometimes, it’s about mindset.

Let that sink in for a moment.

There are seasons in life where the biggest strides we take aren’t forward—they're inward.

The Power of the Pause

Picture this: a woman named Erica is sitting in her cozy home office, staring at a spreadsheet. She’s been working in the same career for 10 years, and on paper, everything looks fine. Steady income. Good team. Decent benefits. But in her heart, she’s stuck. Her creativity feels buried, her joy feels dimmed, and every Monday feels like a mountain climb.

Instead of quitting her job and running toward a brand-new venture, Erica does something bold: she pauses. She begins journaling. Reflecting. She reads personal development books. She sees a coach. She asks herself questions she hadn’t dared to ask in years:

• What do I really want?

• What makes me come alive?

• What am I afraid of?

  
  

For months, there’s no flashy update on LinkedIn. No new title or launch party. But inside? The foundation is shifting. Erica is reclaiming her voice. She’s redefining what success looks like. And that mindset shift is progress. It’s just quiet, personal, and powerful.

The Myth of Constant Hustle

Our culture worships the hustle. We’re praised for being booked and busy. But progress is not always about acceleration—it’s about alignment.

Jared, a small business owner, learned this the hard way. After years of grinding non-stop, he hit a wall. Burnout. He realized that more hours didn’t equal more peace or more purpose. So, he did the unthinkable: he shortened his workweek, hired help, and began prioritizing wellness.

The result? He found clarity. He became a better leader. And his business? It actually grew.

The shift wasn’t in doing more—it was in thinking differently. That’s mindset-driven progress. He stopped measuring success by effort and started measuring it by impact and sustainability.

Mindset Progress Looks Like:

• Choosing grace over guilt.You didn’t finish everything today. So what? You showed up. You did your best. That’s enough.

• Reframing failure.That project flopped. But instead of quitting, you asked, What did I learn? What would I do differently next time?

• Shifting your identity story.Instead of saying, “I’m not good with money,” you begin saying, “I’m learning how to manage money well.”

• Setting new boundaries.You say “no” without apology. You protect your peace. You stop proving and start preserving.

  
  

These aren’t external milestones. They’re internal revolutions.

Still Waters Run Deep

There’s a reason why some of the most transformative moments in our lives happen in stillness. Therapy sessions. Long walks. Late-night prayers. Soul-searching conversations. These aren’t fast or flashy, but they’re fiercely formative.

A woman I admire once said, “My mindset changed long before my life did.” She had been dreaming of starting her nonprofit for years. But for a while, all she could do was believe again. Heal. Visualize. Prepare in the shadows. And now? Her nonprofit is thriving. But the real progress began when she started thinking differently about who she was and what she was called to do.

Give Yourself Credit for Mindset Milestones

We must learn to honor mindset shifts as real victories. The day you decide to forgive. The day you stop comparing. The day you realize you’re worthy, even if no one claps for you. The day you finally believe you’re not behind—you’re just on your own path.

That’s progress.

Maybe your mindset shift today is this:You don’t have to chase what’s already inside you.

Maybe you need to know that slowing down to realign is not a setback—it’s a strategy.

Maybe, just maybe, you’re not stuck—you’re in the middle of becoming.

Mindset Makes Room for Movement

Eventually, internal progress spills outward. That mental reset becomes a new business, a deeper relationship, or a healthier lifestyle. That belief you chose to adopt months ago? It starts showing up in your behavior, your confidence, your tone, and your leadership.

A powerful example of this is Leah, a woman who survived a tough divorce. For a while, her progress wasn’t about dating again or starting a new career—it was about rebuilding trust in herself. Her inner dialogue used to sound like, “I’m too broken to start over.” But one day, she shifted. She told herself, “I deserve love again.”

That shift led to therapy. Therapy led to healing. Healing led to peace. And eventually, peace led to new doors. Today, she’s in a thriving relationship and runs a support group for women going through heartbreak. But it all started in her mindset.

Celebrate the Unseen

Let’s normalize clapping for the invisible wins. Let’s celebrate:

• Emotional healing

• Self-awareness

• Patience

• Perspective

• Boundaries

• Faith

  
  

Let’s stop asking, “What have you done lately?” and start asking, “How have you grown lately?”

Let’s celebrate the days you chose to try again. The moments you chose to hope. The boundaries you enforced. The inner critic you silenced. These are not small wins—they are soul-sized victories.

Final Thoughts: What If Progress Looks Like You?

So today, if you’re not launching, growing, scaling, or sprinting—take heart. You might be shifting. Awakening. Renewing.

And that counts.

Because progress doesn’t always look like movement.

Sometimes, it looks like mindset.

And sometimes, that’s the kind of progress that changes everything.