Will you succeed in reaching your next big goal? Only time will tell. Because success (or failure) generally comes at the end of the process.

Except that every success or failure is actually made up of countless smaller successes or failures that happened along the way. And paying more attention to those can save us a lot of frustration and disappointment.

In this episode, I’m borrowing a powerful concept from the world of business that can help you notch more wins, build confidence, and feel more in control of your progress—whatever you’re working toward.

Key Takeaways

1. Lagging indicators reflect the results of your actions—but only after the fact.
2. Leading indicators are the consistent, controllable actions that move you toward your goal. They help you stay engaged with the process, even when the payoff is weeks or months away.
3. When you define progress by your actions, you create more opportunities for wins—even before the results show up.
4. Clarifying what your outcome is meant to make possible helps sustain motivation—and shapes smarter action plans.
5. If progress is elusive, look upstream. Ask: "What behaviors am I consistently tracking—and are they the right ones?"

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event? Learn more.

If you feel like your progress (or your motivation) has stalled, you have options. You can redouble your efforts. You can take an entirely different approach. Or, you might even decide to walk away. In this episode, we’ll talk about figuring out which route serves you best.

Key Takeaways

1. Taking a break can help protect the quality of our work, create space for creative insights, and ensure that we’re using our time and energy in the most meaningful way.
2. The urge to step away can sometimes be a form of avoidance. When something feels hard or tedious, pushing through may be the key to progress. The challenge is knowing when persistence serves us and when it doesn’t.
3. Just because something was valuable or necessary in the past doesn’t mean it still is. We can get stuck in commitments out of habit, sunk costs, or fear of change. It’s important to ask: Would I choose this again today?
4. Unplanned breaks can still serve us. When life forces us to pause, we can reframe it as an opportunity for reflection, skill-building, or re-evaluating our direction.
5. Clarity comes from asking the right questions.

1. What would taking a break or stepping back make possible? Would you use that freed-up time and energy to do something else that is important and meaningful to you?
2. Are there clear benefits to continuing? Are you willing to give those up, or would you regret it?
3. Are you seeing the results you had hoped to see? If not, why not?
4. Might you be better off pursuing the same goal but in a different way?
5. Is this goal still meaningful to you?
6. Am I continuing in this effort because it still makes sense, or because I’m having trouble cutting bait on the time or effort I’ve already invested?
7. Has my objective changed? Is this goal still aligned with my current objective?
8. If I were starting from scratch today, would I still commit to this?

Mentioned

Ep 488 of the What Works podcast with Tara McMullin

The Change Academy will be on hiatus for the next several weeks. We plan to be back later in the Spring with some exciting new content. If you’re not already on our mailing list, sign up here, and we’ll send you a quick announcement when our next episodes are ready!

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event? Learn more.

Are you guilty of holding yourself (or others) to impossibly high standards?

In this episode, we're exploring the concept of Ought implies can—the notion that we can only be obligated to do what we’re actually capable of. But how do we know where the limits of ability really are?

Are we being too hard on ourselves (or others)? Or are we making excuses?

Learning how to tell the difference can help you set fair, realistic, and empowering expectations—for yourself and everyone around you.

Key Takeaways

- Capacity includes more than just your physical ability to do something—cognitive, emotional, and situational factors also shape what’s truly possible.
- There's an important difference between "I can't" and "I can't yet."
- Acknowledging barriers or limitations is not an excuse, it's an invitation.
- When setting expectations—of yourself or others—check your assumptions. Are you asking for something that’s actually within reach? Or are you expecting the impossible?

Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event? Learn more.