Sustainable Growth is Built on Stability
- Liz Schehl
- Sep 22
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 22
When I was younger, well even just a couple of years ago, I could lace up my shoes, run a few miles, and reliably see results. But unfortunately, what used to work no longer was. My same running routine wasn’t cutting it.
"Stability is not immobility." – Klemens von Metternich
When I was younger, well even just a couple of years ago, I could lace up my shoes, run a few miles, and reliably see results. But unfortunately, what used to work no longer was. My same running routine wasn’t cutting it.
So I joined a health program. Instead of simply running harder or longer, the focus was balance: food, nutrition, activity, rest. A system, not just a workout. One of the goals in this program is to reach “maintenance.” At first, that word sounded like stalling out. But I quickly learned it’s the opposite. You don’t stumble into maintenance. You earn it — through consistency, discipline, and a willingness to pause and recalibrate.
The same is true in business. Too often, leaders operate in triage mode — chasing growth, putting out fires, forcing action when things feel stuck. But real strength doesn’t come from perpetual motion. It comes from reaching a point of stability — where the foundation is strong enough that you can step back, assess, and decide what truly needs to happen next.
Maintenance isn’t immobility. It’s the pause that creates clarity. It’s the moment where you ask:
Where are the gaps?
What’s already working that deserves reinforcement?
What small, strategic pivots could carry us to the next level?
Just as my health journey required me to look beyond running alone, your business might require you to look beyond the familiar habits that once drove results.
Growth is most sustainable when it’s built on stability. Maintenance isn’t stagnation — it’s balance. And balance creates the space for smarter, bolder moves forward.
This week, notice where you’re still running harder in hopes of different results. What would it look like to instead pause, stabilize, and prepare for your next leap?
-Complacency stagnates. Reframe standard. Explore endless possibilities. Live inspired.-
