Deliberate Progress: Building Success Without Burnout

From writing to business, calm progress is the antidote to grind culture.

In my years of writing, I’ve cultivated a sense of duty towards things that are important to me, as years go by, I’ve learned to laser in when I need to. More years go by after that, I’ve learned to simply do it, no motivation needed, no inspiration, just a cup of coffee and a chair. In doing this, I’ve somehow come up with a mantra, which covers a lot of aspects of my life. It’s never always the answer, but it helped me in a lot of ways I can think about. Rather than seeking moments of inspiration and hoping for motivation to brush up on me, I simply think about this.

“Never hurried but always advancing. Never rushed, always in control. Never panicked, always deliberate. Always going, but never nowhere.”

This phrase basically captures my grind. I used to be headstrong and intense with a lot of things, in business ventures, startups, dating and even at work, but as I matured, I learned to channel a lot of that aggression into what seems to be a counterintuitive activity, writing and quietly doing the work. I was lucky enough to have experienced a lot of things when I was younger, a lot of mistakes and a lot of bad decisions, but that shaped me and I don’t regret anything.

Now I’m still mapping out my steps toward my destination, and simply living and doing my job isn’t enough. A shot of espresso may sometimes make work easy, a good night’s sleep for sure, but what I’m saying is this, everything and anything we need to succeed is mostly within us already. We just have to find our purpose and then do the work.

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Never hurried but always advancing.

Career growth or life in general doesn’t have to be frantic. Progress sometimes happens unnoticed; it’s built by small acts compounded into bigger things. Whether that’s making your bed every morning, flossing your teeth every night, showing up to work on time, to submitting reports promptly, these tiny moments are the foundation of bigger successes. Advancing steadily may not look dramatic, but consistency ensures long-term success without burnout.

Never rushed, always in control.

Creative work, like writing, making art, or even entrepreneurship, thrives on patience and control. It’s about deliberate creation, not rushed output. You’re not simply in it to generate money and sacrifice quality over quantity. I’m not saying move slowly either; I’m saying move precisely. Move fast but always in a controlled manner. A businessman rushing into things shows desperation. An artist rushing work produces incomplete creations.

In training and fitness, like strength sports or martial arts, composure and deliberate practice beat panic or haste. My first Jiu-jitsu instructor told me: Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. And the best martial artists, the masters, and black belts are often smooth. Behind that are the number of years they spent practicing and perfecting their craft. Advancement comes from consistency, not rushing.

Never panicked, always deliberate.

Panic is a base instinct embedded into us when sabretooths and big game predators threatened survival, but that is not the case anymore. Our stress comes from jobs, making money, paying debts, and broken relationships. Decision-making is part of the solution that relieves some of those stresses. Being deliberate in decision-making, whether in business, relationships or personal life, prevents a lot of mistakes. A calm intentional mind and demeanor amid chaos builds reputation, trust and authority.

Always going, but never nowhere.

Always going but never nowhere means every step, even slow ones, has a purpose. It’s about direction, not speed. Think of yourself as a train. A train with all its baggage and weight moves forward no matter how far the destination, it might stop at certain stations, gets checked, cleaned out and takes even more passengers with it, sometimes it might be ahead or behind schedule. But ones it’s ready, it moves forward again.

No matter what your circumstances are, life asks us to move forward towards our dreams. It might take a while. It might be difficult; it might take a couple of stopovers and cleaning along the way. But that’s the journey we’re here for.

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The phrase is essentially a life strategy, and I lay claim to it. It may not be for everyone. To some, it might sound like slow-moving overthinking.

But hear me out.

I recently attended a small–medium business (SMB) networking event, where one of the speakers shared his perspective on how different generations define success. In the old days, he said, success was simple: work hard and you’ll make it. The next generation shifted to “work smart, not hard.” And today, he believes, the formula has evolved again: work hard, smart, and fast.

There’s wisdom in that, no doubt, since he’s far more successful than I was at 23. But I digress. What worked for him might not have worked for me, or maybe it would have, who knows. Besides, at 23, I was just a foolish kid chasing girls instead of chasing money or success. Still, I see myself as a train. It might take me longer to reach my destination, but I’m moving forward. Maybe right now I’m at a stopover, learning what this station has to offer. And when the tracks clear, I’ll know it’s time to move again.

But for now,

If you believe in calm progress, deliberate action, and purposeful movement as an antidote to chaos and grind culture, say it with me again:

Never hurried but always advancing. Never rushed, always in control. Never panicked, always deliberate. Always going, but never nowhere.

Go at it with clarity and intention. This is Xergius from the Nightshift Journal, wishing you steady steps, deliberate growth, and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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