Progress, Revisited

In recent conversations with founders and friends, I’ve noticed how much stress many carry while applying a progress-oriented mindset to daily life.

The expectation of nonstop forward motion creates pressure to show progress at every turn. Over time, that demand accumulates. For many of us, the toll shows up as insomnia, weight loss or gain, and mental fatigue. I’ve experienced it myself.

This past week, my friend Ann, an elite runner, shared how she moves from goal-setting to completion, time and again. Gradually, she recognized this same pressure. She also noticed how much attention and energy she poured into forward motion. Little was left for anything else in her life.

These conversations prompted me to reflect on how we might continue moving forward with less frenzy. We are in this for the long haul. Life resembles an ultramarathon, not a short sprint.

Whether in work or in life, many of us default to distance, volume, and frequency when assessing forward movement.

In doing so, we often overlook quieter elements that also contribute to how progress actually unfolds.

Here’s another way to view progress.

From a Taoist lens, progress unfolds through dual Yin and Yang forms.

Yang progress (measurable):

• Setting defined goals and timelines
• Tracking milestones
• Completing scheduled deliverables

Yin progress (intangible):

• Learning through disruptions and detours
• Reconciling trade-offs and constraints
• Refining judgment through reassessment

A wholistic perspective helps pull us back when a metrics-heavy focus begins to generate stress and impede both problem-solving and growth.

Ultimately, growth shows up across the entire journey, in both visible milestones and quieter moments that often go unnoticed.

Which forms of progress guide you most right now?
How might the measurable and intangible forms relieve pressure as you move forward?

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© My-Tien Vo – January 31, 2026