Redefining Success: Why Slow and Steady Wins the Race

It can be a slow, beautiful unfolding

Mar 25, 2025

For so long, success looked like a sprint. Move faster, do more, say yes to every opportunity, and chase every milestone like your life depends on it. Hustle harder, they said. And for years, I listened. I hustled, I pushed, I achieved — but I also burned out. The constant pressure to perform and produce left me depleted, creatively stuck, and questioning everything.

It took time (and a lot of unlearning) to realize that faster doesn’t always mean better. In fact, the most meaningful things in my life — from my creative business to my personal growth — have come from slowing down, tuning in, and trusting that sustainable success is built over time, not overnight.

I’ve been a creator for a decade now and a stylist even longer, and I can attest that consistency is what matters most. Staying the course, often putting your head down without getting immediate results, is actually winning. The growth might be slower, but it’s real — and it lasts.

This isn’t a post about giving up ambition. It’s about redefining what success actually means and letting go of the myth that constant busyness equals worthiness.

A look back

Letting Go of Grind Culture

In a world that glorifies productivity, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that more is more. More clients, more content, more followers, more money. But when we measure success by output alone, we disconnect from what actually feels good.

I used to think success meant checking all the external boxes. Now, I see it differently. To me, success looks like:

Waking up excited (or at least content) about how I’m spending my day.
Feeling creatively fulfilled without constantly chasing virality.
Building a business that’s profitable and aligned with my values.
Prioritizing my health, my family, and my peace of mind.

The Power of Mindful Growth

Mindful growth isn’t flashy. It’s not about overnight wins or instant validation. It’s about showing up consistently, doing the work, and trusting that small steps add up. When I focus on quality over quantity — whether that’s in my content, my business, or my personal life — everything feels more intentional.

For example, I’ve stopped obsessing over follower counts and viral metrics. Instead, I’m thinking about how I can build genuine connections with my community and clients, create content that feels true to me, and show up in ways that are both sustainable and impactful.

Saying No to Say Yes

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on this journey is that every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. When I was deep in hustle mode, I said yes to everything — every project, every client, every coffee meeting. But over time, that constant yes-ing drained me. If I was to go back and do it again I would have still said yes to everything, this taught me a valuable lesson about my time and energy. Much like a buffet I got to try out an array of things seeing what I liked and what I didn’t. I am no longer at that stage in my life and am welcoming and grateful for my ability to say no.

I’m learning to say no more often. No to opportunities that don’t align. No to unrealistic deadlines. No to anything that compromises my peace. Because every time I say no to something that’s not right, I’m saying yes to what really matters: my creativity, my well-being, and the life I’m building with intention.

The Slow and Steady Approach

There’s a beauty in taking your time. In trusting that you don’t have to have it all figured out right now. That it’s okay to be a work in progress. (I still have so many things I need to figure out) When you let go of the pressure to do it all at once, you create space to focus on what truly lights you up.

For me, that means:

Building my creative business Dumont thoughtfully, without rushing or compromising my vision.
Growing my community on Instagram and Substack in an authentic way, even if it’s slower than the “growth hacks” promise.
Creating content that reflects who I am right now, not who I think I need to be to stay relevant.

Success on Your Own Terms

Success doesn’t have to be a sprint. It can be a slow, beautiful unfolding — a process of learning, (unlearning) growing, and evolving. And when you give yourself permission to grow at your own pace, you might just find that the journey feels a lot more joyful.

So, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or caught in the endless hustle, here’s your permission to pause. To slow down. To redefine what success looks like for you. Because slow and steady really does win the race.

You’re exactly where you need to be.