Progress Doesn't Always Look Like Progress

Progress doesn't always look like progress.

While I was chasing my coaching certification, I was living in two worlds.

Weeknight classes were for learning about mindset and transformation. Then, I had to walk back into the WSJ newsroom the next morning like nothing had happened.

There was no immediate validation. No clear signs I was on the right path.

Just me, quietly preparing for something I couldn't quite name—yet.

You might be living this double life right now, in your own invisible training phase.

Building skills that feel completely disconnected from your "real" career. Doing work that's invisible to everyone around you. Taking courses that don't relate to your current job. Reading books about change while on your lunch break.

Late-night conversations about "what ifs” that you can't share with colleagues. Exploring possibilities that feel disconnected from your current reality. Building something that won't make sense to others until it's complete.

Here's what I want you to know: You're already making more progress than you realize.

The Foundation You Can't See

Think about it: every conversation you have about your future career or future move adds to your clarity. Every skill you develop increases your capability. Every moment of self-reflection builds your confidence.

These aren't wasted efforts. They're investments that compound over time.

During those months of coaching classes, I felt like I was moving in slow motion. My colleagues had no idea about my evening schedule. Most of my friends couldn't understand why I was spending time—and money—on something so uncertain. Even I wondered if I was fooling myself.

But I felt that something was shifting. The way I listened to people changed. How I approached problems evolved. My confidence in helping others grew, even though I had no clients yet.

This is what real progress looks like. It's messy. It's internal. It often feels like you're moving backward when you're actually moving forward.

Why Career Change Feels Like Standing Still

The professionals I work with often tell me they felt "stuck" for months before everything suddenly clicked into place. What they thought was stagnation was actually foundation-building.

Maybe you're:

• Reading about a new industry but feeling like you don't know enough yet

• Taking small steps toward a transition but not seeing any visible movement

• Building skills that don't immediately translate to opportunities

• Having internal shifts in confidence that nobody else can see

This matters because most career transformation happens in the spaces between your current role and your next one. You're not just dreaming—you're preparing. You're not just exploring—you're building capacity for change.

The Compound Effect of Small Wins

When I finally made the leap to coaching full-time, I drew on all of that invisible work. The listening skills from those weekly skills labs, working with other soon-to-be coaches. The confidence from practice coaching sessions with friends. The frameworks I'd been quietly testing in my own life.

What felt like slow progress was starting to gain momentum.

This is happening in your career journey right now. Every book you read about your target industry. Every conversation you have about possibility. Every small experiment with new ways of thinking.

These small wins are compounding, even when you can't see the results right now.

The work you're doing that nobody sees is still work. The skills you're building in the margins count. The preparation that feels disconnected from your current reality is preparing you for your next reality.

Growth happens in the spaces between what was and what will be.

Your invisible work is working.

Trust the process even when you can't always see the momentum.

Your Progress Is Real, Even When It's Invisible

Maybe you can't point to concrete career changes yet. Maybe your LinkedIn profile looks the same as it did six months ago. Maybe you're still in the same job, having the same conversations, dealing with the same frustrations.

But if you're reading this, something is already different. You're thinking differently. You're preparing differently. You're building awareness and capacity for change.

That's not standing still. That's progress.

The next time you feel like you're not moving fast enough toward your career goals, remember that the most important work often happens where no one else can see it. You're building the foundation for everything that comes next.

What invisible progress are you making right now that you haven't given yourself credit for? Let me know in the comments—I'd love to hear about the work you're doing behind the scenes.