After my mom died, one question kept rolling around in my head:
I know what to do. Why can’t I do what I know?
I had information about walking through grief and difficulty. I had professional experience helping people navigate difficult circumstances.
But now I was the person hurting. And knowing what might help didn’t mean I could easily put it into practice.
That was frustrating. When you understand something, you can start expecting yourself to handle it better.
Maybe you’ve been there, too.
You know you need to ask for help, speak up, or respond differently. But when the moment arrives, the familiar response shows up first.
In my last blog, “Performance Is Not Always Progress,” I talked about recognizing what needs attention beneath how well we appear to be handling things.
Once we see it, another question follows:
What will I do when it happens again?
Think about saying yes when your plate is already full. You recognize the pattern. You decide to change it. Then someone asks for a favor, and “Of course” comes out before you’ve even considered the request.
What could help you pause long enough to make an intentional choice?
Perhaps you practice one sentence:
“Let me check what I’ve already committed to before I answer.”
Then you try it. Notice what happens. Adjust and try again.
That is where Plan, Practice, and Progress—part of the 6 P’s of Personal Growth™—become useful in everyday life.
The process is much like a GPS system. You don’t need it when you know where you’re going. But when you don’t, it’s readily available to help you find your next step.
It matters at work, too. Someone can understand a training on communication and still struggle to speak up in a meeting. People need opportunities to practice what they learn, along with an environment that supports using it.
That is part of why I created From Pause to Progress™. The EMBRACE Model™ is the “what.” The 6 P’s of Personal Growth™ are the “how”—a process for working with what we know.
Here’s your invitation:
What is one thing you know would help you—and what could practicing it look like this week?
Choose something specific. Give yourself room to learn as you use it.
Sometimes that one honest question becomes a doorway. 🪷
Progress, not perfection or performance.
🪷 Beside You on the Journey,
Jan
Lead HR or learning and development? Let’s explore how From Pause to Progress™ can help your people put learning into practice.