When Progress Means Returning, Not Starting Over

I travelled to Bali 10 years ago and fell in love.

The greenery. The artisans. Lush rice fields. Yoga and meditation.

The infrastructure was lacking — broken sidewalks and potholes galore — but there were stunning resorts with pools that overlooked untouched jungle. It felt like pure magic.

Since the day I left, I’d dreamed of returning. And finally, I did. Only this time, it had changed.

The traffic was more intense. Instagrammers swarmed towns that barely existed a decade earlier. New buildings rose where rice fields once stretched endlessly.

Expansion and growth were everywhere. But so was decay.

The beautiful resorts I remembered had seen better days. Years of pandemic closures and natural disasters had taken their toll. Investors had stopped maintaining older properties. The jungle crept back in.

There was mold, crumbling brick, rotting wood.

So much effort and money had once been poured into these places — now abandoned.

New developments were being built elsewhere, while the old was left to deteriorate. Not because it wasn’t valuable, but because it no longer felt shiny or easy. Salvaging what already existed required care, effort, and attention that many no longer wanted to give.

It got me thinking.

How often do we do the same in our own lives or work?

How often do we abandon good ideas, hard-won progress, or meaningful relationships — not because they’re broken, but because they need care?

We chase what’s next, assuming the new will be better. Meanwhile, what we’ve already built quietly falls into disrepair.

But maybe what’s needed isn’t another fresh start.

Maybe it’s a deeper investment in what’s already working — or could work again with the right attention.

This week, I challenge you to take a second look at something you’ve set aside — a project, a plan, a relationship, a practice — and ask yourself: Is this still worth tending to?

Not everything needs to be replaced. Some things just need to be revived.

Best wishes, Lauren

P.S. If you’re unsure what’s worth salvaging or how to restore momentum, that’s exactly where we come in. At Stanedin, we help leaders cut through the noise, refocus their strategy, and strengthen what they’ve already built — so progress doesn’t have to start from scratch.