A few years ago, I had what I thought was a breakthrough moment.
Sales were up.
Engagement was hot.
Calendar full. Funnels humming. Clients rolling in like the tide.
I’d finally cracked it.
Or so I told myself.
But a strange thing happened around that same time:
I stopped feeling proud.
I started feeling… frantic.
Wired. Tired. On edge. Constantly “on.”
It wasn’t growth I was experiencing—it was just motion.
Loud, exhausting, dopamine-chasing motion.
And one morning, it hit me like a brick wall:
I wasn’t growing. I was just busy again.
The Illusion of Busy vs Growth
We live in a world where motion = meaning.
You fill the calendar, check the boxes, launch the things, keep the metrics in motion—and that looks like growth.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth most won’t admit:
You can be busy as hell… and still be stuck.
You can be performing at full tilt… and still not progressing.
Because not all motion is movement.
Sometimes it’s just you sprinting on a hamster wheel, convincing yourself it’s a marathon.
Busy vs Growth: The Trap of Growth Theater
You know what I mean.
You’re in the DMs.
You’re on stories.
You’re dropping value bombs in your email list.
You’re talking “next level,” “next launch,” “next pivot.”
But behind the scenes?
You’re:
- Rebuilding the same funnel for the third time
- Responding to the same fires in Slack
- Launching new things because you’re bored, not because it’s wise
- Staying “in motion” because silence feels like failure
That’s not scaling. That’s spinning.
It’s Growth Theater—looks impressive, feels important, moves nothing.
Harvard Business Review on Productivity
Why You’re Addicted to the Chaos
I’ve been there. Multiple times.
Every time I got close to simplicity, I panicked.
Why?
Because simple doesn’t feel safe when you’re used to scrambling.
Chaos makes you feel needed.
Noise makes you feel important.
Busy makes you feel productive.
Even if it’s killing your creativity.
Even if you secretly hate what you’ve built.
It’s not that you don’t know how to slow down.
It’s that you don’t know who you are when you’re not busy.
So you chase the same cycle under a new name:
New niche.
New offer.
New podcast.
New webinar.
Same stress.
The Truth About Real Growth
Here’s what I had to learn the hard way:
Growth doesn’t always feel like speed. Sometimes it feels like stillness.
Real growth looks like saying “no” more than “yes.”
It’s doing less but going deeper.
You can grow your revenue while working fewer hours.
You can grow your peace by cutting your offer stack in half.
You can grow your impact by doubling down on one thing instead of ten.
Growth is about depth, not just width.
Let’s Get Real for a Second…
If you resonate with this, I want you to answer these questions with brutal honesty:
- What do you keep doing because it feels urgent, not because it creates results?
- What parts of your business make you feel important but don’t actually move the needle?
- Are you measuring your growth based on output… or outcome?
- Where are you confusing activity with advancement?
- If you stopped doing 50% of what’s on your calendar—what would break? And what would actually get better?
Let those sink in. Then we can talk about what to do next.
How I Broke the “Busy” Cycle
Here’s what finally made me snap out of the cycle:
1. I audited my results.
I looked back at every single client, launch, and dollar over 12 months.
And you know what?
80% of my income came from 20% of my efforts.
The rest? Pure noise.
Busywork. Branding exercises. “Strategic” moves that didn’t produce.
So I started cutting. And it felt terrifying.
But then came the peace. And then… more profit.
2. I simplified my offers.
I used to have 5 different ways people could work with me.
Custom packages. Group programs. 1:1s. Courses. Intensives.
Now?
I lead people through one simple, scalable path.
One that I actually enjoy. One that creates results.
And I finally had breathing room.
3. I stopped chasing the new.
You don’t need a new offer.
You need new focus.
Most people don’t have a marketing problem—they have a repetition problem.
They don’t stick long enough to see results.
Now, I repeat what works. Relentlessly.
That’s what the greats do.
They don’t constantly create—they compound what’s working.
4. I made peace with boredom.
Growth doesn’t always feel exciting.
Sometimes growth feels like… doing the same thing again.
Saying “no” when you want to say “yes.”
Logging off when your ego wants to be seen.
Boring is the cost of mastery.
Stillness is the soil of scale.
What To Do If You’re Caught in the Cycle
This part matters most.
If you’re reading this thinking, “Holy sht, that’s me…”*, you’re not alone.
But you do have a choice.
Here’s how to start breaking the cycle:
Step 1: Audit your calendar
Look at everything you’ve committed to this month. Ask:
- What can I eliminate?
- What’s just ego fuel?
- What’s still aligned with my long-term goals?
Step 2: Pick ONE driver
What’s the one offer, system, or service that actually moves the needle?
Cut the fluff. Get obsessive about that one thing.
Step 3: Rebuild your schedule
Your day needs more white space. Not more work.
Protect your time like your peace depends on it—because it does.
Step 4: Create a weekly “Stillness Session”
One hour. No tasks. No brainstorming. Just observe.
- What’s working?
- What’s not?
- What feels good?
- What’s draining you?
Don’t just move—reflect.
Final Thoughts: Stop Measuring Growth by Motion
I’ll leave you with this:
You’re not growing if your nervous system is still on fire.
You’re not growing if you’re stuck in the same cycle with prettier graphics.
You’re not growing if your business depends on burnout to function.
Your business doesn’t need more energy.
It needs alignment.
It needs a version of you that stops performing and starts choosing.
Because peace, profit, and progress can all live in the same house.
But only if you evict busy first.
A Few Questions For You:
Let these questions guide your next move.
- What if you stopped for 30 days? What would change?
- Where are you mistaking panic for passion?
- Do you even want what you’re building right now—or are you just addicted to effort?
- What would your business look like if it was designed for peace first, not performance?
You Don’t Need Another Productivity Hack.
You need permission.
To slow down.
To cut the crap.
To stop performing growth and start experiencing it.
The next level isn’t built in chaos.
It’s built in clarity.
And clarity comes when you stop being busy long enough to hear what your life is really asking for.