📈 PROGRESS
“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.” – Epictetus
Progress is the quiet, powerful shift that says, “I’m not where I was.” In the ADHD terrain—where starts are frequent and restarts are even more common—progress is rarely linear. But that doesn’t mean it’s not real. Every moment of growth, awareness, and adaptation counts.
For ADHDers, it’s easy to miss progress because it doesn’t always look like big wins. Sometimes it’s catching yourself mid-spiral. Sometimes it’s finishing a task that used to overwhelm you. Sometimes it’s taking a break before burnout hits. These changes might not get gold stars, but they represent transformation.
Living this value means learning to see change in motion—even if it’s slow or messy. It means tracking what’s evolving, not just what’s missing. It means measuring success in honesty, flexibility, resilience—not just productivity.
Progress teaches us that we can change. That we are changing. That every small step matters, especially in a world that often expects leaps. For ADHDers, progress is permission to begin again—with dignity, not defeat.
🧭 The HOPE Trail Map
- Helps or Harms: Am I focusing on growth—or fixating on what’s still unfinished?
- Own My Values: I want to be someone who notices and honours the steps I’ve taken, not just the steps ahead.
- People and Pursuits: Who recognises my progress, even when I don’t? What pursuits let me see my own evolution?
- Enact and Evaluate: Today, I’ll name one way I’ve grown—and take one step forward, no matter how small.
⚠️ Trail Challenges
- Time blindness may obscure how far you’ve come.
- Perfectionism can block recognition of incremental change.
- External comparisons can distort your sense of progress.
🪧 Trail Markers: Small Steps Toward Progress
- Track micro-wins in a visible way (journal, post-it wall, app).
- Ask: “What would past me be proud of right now?”
- Break a daunting goal into 3-minute, 10-minute, and 30-minute actions.
🔥 Campfire Questions for Reflection
- What kind of progress have I made that no one else sees?
- What do I do now that I once found impossible?
- How would it feel to define progress in terms of alignment, not just achievement?
Progress isn’t a finish line—it’s a direction. And every moment you move with intention is a reason to keep walking.
