Progress – Grandpa Bob Encouraging Leadership

As we enter 2026, it’s tempting to look for a new system, a better plan, or the perfect moment to begin.

Most of the time, the real answer is simpler.

Just show up.

The secret to progress isn’t brilliance or motivation. It isn’t certainty or confidence. It’s presence.

Show up every day.
Show up when it’s easy.
Show up when it’s uncomfortable.
Show up when you don’t know what comes next.

Show up and be present.
Show up and handle your business.
Show up and figure it out as you go.
Show up for the people you love.
Show up for the work that matters.
Show up for yourself.

When you’re unsure what to do next, don’t overthink it. Show up and take the next step. Clarity usually follows movement.

The alternative is standing down. Waiting. Drifting. Quietly giving up ground you were meant to claim.

You’re stronger than that.

Progress is rarely dramatic. It’s built through consistency. Through ordinary days stacked on top of each other. Choosing to show up when no one is watching.

The hard things happen because you showed up.
The meaningful things happen because you stayed.
The impossible things only happen when you refuse to disappear.

There’s another truth hidden in showing up.

When you show up, you give others permission to do the same. Your presence becomes proof. Your consistency becomes encouragement. People notice. They realize they can take the next step too.

So how do you crush your goals in 2026?

You don’t wait for the perfect plan.
You don’t wait to feel ready.

You show up.
You make it happen.

Because that’s what you do.
And this is how things get done.

Photo by NEOM on Unsplash

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Is still progress.

Pick any project—it doesn’t matter if it’s something you’ve assigned to yourself or something your boss has given you. It could be a huge, long-term project, or something that should take less than a week.

Chances are, that project will turn out to be harder than expected. It will require effort that nobody saw during the planning process (whether planning consisted of a 5-minute conversation, or a multi-month series of meetings and discussions).

Here’s something else about projects: even when we’re given full ownership, most of us will try to find ways to make sure we’re not fully responsible for the outcome.

But no matter what, the project remains. We own it. We also own the goal of getting it done right.

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Chinese Proverb

Progress is made through consistent effort, one step at a time. Then another. Then another. It’s the steps toward the goal that matter, almost as much as the goal itself.

What if some of the steps we take are the wrong ones? What if we have to go back and redo some of our work? What if somebody sees us make mistakes along the way?

Each of these are (almost) guaranteed to happen.

Embrace it. Learn from it. Carry on.

Keep stepping forward. Learn along the way and give yourself permission to take a step (or two) back from time to time.

The progress you’re making is the reward.

Photo by NEOM on Unsplash