If You Don't See Changes, It Doesn't Mean Nothing Changed
You are always in progress, even if you don't notice it
I just reflected on my 2024.
I hadn’t achieved the goals I had set for myself. I’d relapsed into bad habits more times than I could count, and many of my plans failed.
Maybe I am a failure.
I began to doubt myself and my abilities. My self-esteem is broken down, giving way to self-hatred. Every failure became a strong reason for my inner critic that I just wasted a lot of opportunities to make the best year of my life.
The more I hated myself for failing, the more I failed, caught in a loop that seemed to be of hatred.
Breaking the Cycle
One day, I realized I couldn’t continue being like this.
Self-hatred was doing more harm than good. It kept me stuck in a state of regret and relapse. Something had to change.
I asked myself, was it really true that I hadn’t achieved anything in 2024?
Slowly, as I changed my perspective, I started to notice something. While I may not have accomplished everything I aimed for, I’ve made progress. There are things that I’ve made improvements toward in myself.
I changed.
What I didn’t see
I started to notice significant changes over the year:
Self-control Toward Bad Habits: My relapses were less frequent, and my awareness of triggers had improved. I’m not easily distracted or trapped with my bad habits.
Growth Mindset Toward Hobbies and Skills: I began to think about my hobbies as skills rather than a talent. All hobbies are achievable if I put time and effort into practicing them.
Greater Patience with People and Circumstances: I found myself less reactive and more understanding when dealing with others and situations beyond my control. I don’t get easily tempered like I used to.
Achieving What I Needed
I didn’t want to achieve all of that.
I just want to eliminate all of my bad habits and build all of my good habits, like routines and writing systems.
But that’s what I got at the end of the year.
I didn’t change what I wanted to, but I changed what I needed to.
Changing internally rather than externally.
What You Can Learn?
This teaches me a great life lesson.
Life doesn’t always go according to our wants, but it does according to a perfect plan. That plan isn’t ours to decide. It belongs to God.
The progress we make, however small, is part of that plan.
If you don’t see changes, it doesn’t mean nothing has changed. Growth is often invisible until it’s undeniable. Every struggle, every setback, and every moment of challenges contributes to the person you are becoming.
You are always in progress, even if you don’t notice it.
Your Turn
As you look back on your own year, take a moment to reflect.
Ask yourself:
Where have I grown, even if it’s not where I planned?
What lessons have I learned that will shape my future?
How can I embrace progress over perfection?
Remember, life is not a race to perfection but a journey of becoming.
Trust the process, acknowledge your progress, and let God guide you toward the plan that’s meant for you.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time, and he has given eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end”
–Ecclesiastes 3:11
Essential Resources for Your Journey 📚
The Mastery of Reading (Paid) | Download here
A Step-by-step Guide to Mastering Your Reading Habit from 0 to 100The Habit of Reading (Free) | Download here
A Step-by-step Guide to Building Your Reading Habit from 0 to 130-day Simple Habit Tracker (Free) | Download Here
Track Your Daily Habits with Customizable MonthsLife-changing Blueprint (Free) | Download Here
How to Change Your Life with Implementation GuideMy Booknotes (Free) | Download here
Understand What You Read with Implementation Guide