Stuck? It’s Not Your Effort—It’s What You’re Holding On To
FEBRUARY 24, 2025
Breakthroughs require letting go of limiting beliefs, outdated habits and perspectives that no longer serve you. We thrive by honoring the past and then moving forward, instead of clinging to where we’ve been. True growth and success come when you embrace change, release the past and step into what’s next.
Growth isn’t a function of what you have, it’s a function of what you let go of that’s holding you back.
Breakthroughs require movement. You can’t step into something new while clinging to the beliefs, habits and perspectives that have kept you where you are. Growth, whether in business, leadership, or personal, demands that you let go—not just of what no longer serves you, but of the comfort of what’s familiar that’s keeping you stuck.
The Bedouins, a traditionally nomadic tribe across the Sahara, showed me how powerful this idea can be when I spent some time with them a few years back. The outpost they greeted us at in South East Morocco was just a few tents surrounded by camels— before we reached our destination was only sand as far as the eye could see.
They shared with me this perspective they’ve held on to for generations: Move with the seasons, or be left behind. When a place is no longer providing, they pack up, let go of where they’ve been and move forward to where they need to be. They don’t cling to a place just because it’s familiar. Their freedom, survival and even their strength, actually comes not from building massive fortresses and defenses – but rather from their willingness to release the past in order to embrace what’s next.
Think about it: If you want to build something new, you can’t keep using the same blueprint that created your current reality. Yet, in my work with people and organizations all over the world, I see so many attempting to achieve transformational results while dragging along the weight of old mindsets, old models and old habits or processes. They want innovation, but fear change. They want success, but hold on to self-doubt. They want impact, but resist the discomfort of stepping into the unknown.
As uncomfortable as it may be, real breakthroughs demand a willingness to release. To challenge the narratives you’ve been telling yourself. To break patterns that have become comfortable, but not necessarily most effective. To adopt new ways of thinking, feeling and showing up.
We can take a page out of the Bedouins playbook and ask ourselves, what beliefs are keeping me from the results I want? What habits am I repeating that don’t align with my goals? What perspectives am I holding on to that prevent me from seeing new opportunities?
Breakthroughs rarely happen by chance. They happen when you choose the version of you that got you here won’t be the same version that gets you there. Like the Bedouins, true freedom and success come when you stop clinging to where you’ve been and start moving toward where you need to go. Letting go isn’t loss—it’s the only way forward.
Key Idea
You can’t create breakthrough results while holding on to the past. Breakthroughs require letting go of limiting beliefs, outdated habits and perspectives that no longer serve you. We thrive by honoring the past and then moving forward, instead of clinging to where we’ve been. True growth and success come when you embrace change, release the past and step into what’s next.
Takeaway
Growth isn’t a function of what you have, it’s a function of what you let go of that’s holding you back.
Build your Movement
Take inventory of your current beliefs, habits and perspectives—identify one thing that is keeping you stuck. What would it take to let go of it?
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