Win at Life
Definition: The Plateau of Latent Potential: The time when consistent effort builds quietly beneath the surface, unnoticed, until it eventually turns into visible progress.
What it is: The Plateau of Latent Potential describes the frustrating periods when you’re consistently putting in effort without immediate visible results. Introduced by writer and all-around excellent communicator James Clear (Atomic Habits), this idea sheds light on the hidden accumulation of improvements that often come just before visible breakthroughs.
He said: “Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.”
Like the ‘overnight singing star’ who had been trudging their way round working men’s clubs and holiday parks for a decade!
Why it matters:
“It’s always darkest before the dawn.”
I’ve noticed that often people start strong with any goal or endeavour, motivated and full of great intentions. Weeks in, it feels as though nothing’s changing, and all that effort can start to feel a bit pointless. Often, the bleakest time is before a breakthrough; running faster, further, getting into ‘that’ pair of jeans, learning a language enough to order some drinks at the bar.
It sounds trite, but it’s true.
Understanding this concept helps you stay motivated and committed, even when the progress you’ve made isn’t immediately obvious. Acknowledging that unseen progress is hugely valuable can help reduce frustration and encourage you to keep at it.
Real-life examples:
- We recommended that Aiofe (solicitor, mum of 3, keen horse rider) start daily meditation to manage stress. Weeks went by, and she reported finding it ‘still a bit boring’ and at times actually irritating. She very nearly gave up altogether.
Then suddenly, two months in, the penny dropped. She realised she felt calmer in stressful situations, was sleeping better and could manage her workload more easily. Her regular practice had quietly reshaped her responses. It all made sense. Suddenly. Although that suddenness had taken a while!
- Tom (front of house manager at the local theatre) started coming to our gym 6 months ago with his much younger brother. We bumped into each other a couple of mornings a week. The bants, as they say, were immaculate (hilarious). He confided that he was disappointed because he still had a ‘dad-bod’ (his words), while his brother looked much more hench. Again, his words.
Last Friday, he skipped in and nabbed the squat rack, grinning.
Seemingly overnight, he told us, his friends began to comment on how good he looked, he’d been given a very nice young man’s number at the theatre and he realised that yes, his consistent efforts had been quietly adding up.
Something to think about:
- Can you spot an area in your life where you might currently be in a ‘plateau of latent potential’?
- Have you found it tempting to stop when you didn’t see clear, immediate results?
- Do you think that recognising quiet progress could improve your motivation and perseverance?
Challenge: Choose one habit or project you’ve considered abandoning. (Or actually abandoned.)
Commit to sticking with it just for another month, tracking your consistency, rather than immediate outcomes. At the end of that, make a list of any improvements you’ve made, however tiny or subtle they are. It’s going to help you keep going.
A Buddh-ish take: The Plateau of Latent Potential is super-Buddh-ish.
It mirrors fundamental principles of patience and trust in unseen processes.
Buddhism teaches that true change and growth often occur beneath the surface, quietly building momentum through sustained and mindful effort. Just as a seed grows silently in darkness before emerging into the light, our efforts in life and personal development also quietly build the foundation for eventual, visible transformation.
See also: eggs hatching, tea brewing, and stones being worn smooth by water.
It’s the essence of the practice.
You sit, you breathe, you try again.
You don’t push for fireworks – you trust that the shift will happen.
Sometimes it’s weeks, sometimes years.
Sometimes it’s not even visible to other people, but you know something’s changed.
There’s a reason we don’t call it meditation performance.
We call it a practice. Because the doing, not the dazzling, is where real change lives.
Patience could be the secret sauce for your next breakthrough.