What Got You There Will Keep You There

What got you there will keep you there.

Hopefully, you can hear there are two sides to those words, and depending on where you are in your journey, it can either be words of affirmation or words of warning.

One side is a celebration of our deliberate disciplines: the consistency, courage, and commitment it took to get you to where you are. It's the daily rituals, the mindset, the push. You may have heard me exclaim, "We first make our habits, and then our habits make us." I use this quote from John Dryden in my lectures and workshops and should live rent free ln the minds of many of us who have been in the trenches of self-mastery (and restoration). Habits don't just shape our days; they shape our character, our legacy. They are our rhythms of success.

Go ahead and flip that coin.

What got you there… will keep you there.

Now, the opening becomes something else entirely. A mirror. A caution. An inquiry.

Suddenly, we're faced with a truth that's harder to swallow. The same habits that once carried us can now become our cage. Our survival strategies, our default modes, and our routines-however noble or effective they once were-may now be limiting the future version of ourselves we need to become.

This is the paradox of growth and change.  To move forward, there will be times you must occasionally betray-no-release the very strategies that brought you success.

Who do you need to become for the future you're walking into?

This sits at the intersection of discipline and discernment. It forces us to audit the architecture of our lives. Which habits are propelling you forward? Which ones are quietly anchoring you to the past?

Are you still fighting old battles in a new season?
Are your routines nurturing expansion—or numbing you into inertia?
Are your current disciplines still aligned with your evolving vision of success?

Many well-meaning achievers get stuck. They (this is includes me) assume more of the same will yield more success. But the truth is: more of the same will usually give you more of the same. And if you've outgrown that "same," then it's time to stretch-intentionally.

Sometimes what you need isn't another goal but a deeper becoming.

This is where restoration enters. Not self-improvement for performance's sake, but restoration of what was already true within you. The you underneath the grind and title and the great brand. The you who remembers purpose. The you who is willing to live and lead from the inside out.

You don't have to abandon your deliberate disciplines. You need to re-align them.

And this truth doesn't just live in our personal lives. Businesses, nonprofits, even entire ecosystems fall prey to the same trap. I have been in organizational and community development for over two decades and have seen many an org spin in the Einstellung effect-a phenomenon where familiar solutions are applied to new problems, even when they no longer fit.
We default to what's worked before. Why? It's comforting. It's proven. It's what we know. And, "We just need to try harder!"

Not all solutions are based upon proven principles, so the question isn't whether it worked previously. The question is whether it still works now-with the context, the climate, the people, and the possibilities in front of us.

Too many teams cling to legacy strategies out of loyalty, not effectiveness. They confuse tradition for wisdom, mistaking familiarity for relevance.

That centralized structure that once brought clarity? It may now choke innovation.
That flagship program that once served hundreds? It may now be serving ego more than impact.
That tacit norm of our "fast-paced environment?" It may now be eroding your team's trust and creativity.

Our organizations must heed the opening affirmation and warning.
What is our current identity? What season are we in? What muscles need to be stretched, strengthened, or retired?

The same habits that scaled a business or built a brand can begin to act like anchors when agility is needed. What got you there as a leader, as a team, as an institution, may keep you stuck in a pattern that no longer fits your mission.

So, whether you're an individual rethinking your rhythms or an organization reimagining its relevance-the invitation is the same:

Audit your habits.
Challenge your assumptions.
Examine your defaults.
Make room for renewal.

Real growth doesn't always come from doing more. Sometimes, it comes from releasing more.

What got you there might not be what carries you forward.

But you already knew that.
You just needed a moment to remember.

I hope this resonates and helps you today. If you want to chat more, I'm just an email or call away.

Be well.
Be brave.
Be ready.

Tray T.S. Deadwyler, CBC, CLC, CVM